Hey… I'm baaaaack! Sadly, there was no way for me to update as I was in another state, with no computer, and no life… just kidding. I had plenty to do with my family, but it did feel weird not being able to work on my one-shots.

Anyway, on to the reviews!

A special thanks to EVAunit42 for helping me advertise this so people can read their hearts out! And if you haven't read his stories, I really recommend all of them. No, seriously, if you really haven't- which I doubt- leave this fanfic right now and go check him out.

theRevil: I'm glad I've got you hooked! And I'm going to be totally honest here and maybe even surprise you: I'm not even in highschool yet. Middle school, sure, I'm 13, but high school is a year away for me. Yea, I'm a Starco shipper, so Jarco will be out the window for almost all of my one-shots; maybe it'll be 75% of the time Starco, 25% of Jarco… leading into Starco at some point. I hope you stick around!

Author Smimph: Hey, Author Smimph! Thanks! It's ok if you're not great on criticism or feedback. The fact that one (or two, if you think about it) of my favorite authors is reading one of my stories is gift enough and totally makes up for no criticism and/or feedback. You will see plenty of me (or rather my writing) in the near and far future!

Anonymims: Thanks for the "A PLUS," pun and all. After this chapter, I'll be sure to create a festive scenario for these wonderful people in a beautiful mess!

reviewer: Will do! This will keep going!

redarrowissupercool: I will be continuing this. So if you have any suggestions for chapters, go ahead and say so in the reviews or PM me about it!

STORY PROMPT: This one is based off of my own life. A friend of mine and I are being shipped by my group of friends- which I can tell you, it's really annoying. Some of my friends don't even remember his name, so they call him "Ship Boy." And every time they see me talking to him, or they see him, they yell, "I SHIP IT!" And just the other day, they were teasing us about getting married. They were saying stuff like, "You need my blessing before you can marry her," and, "We're going wedding shopping after school today!" I guess it doesn't help that what I see as involuntary teasing- cuz I tease him all the time- is seen as flirting in my friends' eyes. He takes my water bottle from my bag and I chase after him, and I still have those little clip-thingys that I stole from him last year. Funny thing is, the little clip-thingys are on my schoolbag. So not helping, now that I think about it.

… I'll actually get on with the story. I get the feeling you're dozing off, so here you go!


"Hey! Look," Janna said, pointing with her finger to a red hoodie. "It's Ship Boy!"

Star moaned. "You're never going to remember his name, are you?"

"Nope. But whatever his name is, I'll still like 'Ship Boy' better."

Jackie and Janna laughed, loving how they could easily make Star embarrassed or annoyed.

Without her friends around, Star could talk to Marco pretty easily- no stutters, just a smooth conversation… of teasing each other of how they talk about their own life. It didn't help that he was in all of her classes.

Star walked away from Janna and Jackie, who were still laughing hysterically, and walked up to her locker.

Which was right next to Marco's.

She opened it and grabbed her books with surprising speed and ease, shut her locker, hoping that she was fast enough to escape Ship B- Marco's detection.

"Hey, Star."

Nope. Not a chance in hell.

Star cringed at the unmistakable voice of Marco Diaz, and turned around slowly to meet his gaze. "Heyyyyyy."

"Was your day any better than yesterday's Day of Misery, as you called it?" He asked, his arms crossed, his left side leaning against his closed locker.

"It was, and I assume it was better than yours." Star wrapped her arms around her books, crossing her right leg over her left, leaning against her own closed locker like Marco.

Marco chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Oh, I'm sure it was. Only if you take into consideration that your best friends are still calling me Ship Boy."

"It's worse you know about that," Star mumbled under her breath.

"Nope," Marco said. "That just means I have another thing on the list I can tease you about. And I'm 100 percent sure that your list is longer than mine."

Star poked him in the chest with her index finger. "I'll have you know that that is only because of your insecurity."

Marco rolled his eyes, still grinning, though the corners of his mouth curved down a bit. "I'm working on that par-"

"HEY SHIP BOY! I STILL SHIP IT!"

Star groaned. "Here we go again."

"But she's mine!" Janna said suddenly, wrapping her arms around Star's figure.

Star smiled. "First, you ship me and Marco."

"Ship Boy!" Janna interrupted.

"Fine. Ship Boy. Then you suddenly get really protective of me?"

"At least your friends worry about your emotional state," Marco said, his smile completely absent now. "Mine are just interested in talking to girls with their stomachs and sitting together in the same chair- or bench. It's always like I'm the third wheel."

Star's teasing smile fell as she recalled all the times she'd seen Marco eating alone at lunch, walking home alone, walking to each class alone. Then the realization hit her: he was always alone.

When she finally realized she knew what to say, she looked up, but he was gone.

"C'mon. Let's go home, Star," Jackie said, placing a hand on her shoulder like she felt Star's disappointment.

Star simply nodded. I know what I need to do tomorrow.


"Hey, Marco!" Star called from behind him. He could hear her steps as she ran to catch up with him.

"I didn't know you walked this way."

"Oh. Well, I walk this way everyday," Marco responded, stuffing his hands in his pockets, his head tilted down, brown eyes focused on his feet as he watched step after step while waiting for Star to say something.

"Really? I walk this way all the time too!" Star said, her face feigning her signature oh! I have a sudden, really good idea! expression. "I have an idea! I'll walk with you from now on! Is that a good idea to you? It's more teasing time!"

Marco gave her a sideways glance, one of those you're so funny kind of looks. "Sure. Sure, you want to walk with me to school," he said skeptically.

"But I do!" Star insisted. "Pleeeeaaaase?"

Her head was pressed up against his arm, her blue irises gazing up at him, filled with pleading.

"Oh, okay, Star."

"Yay!" Star skipped ahead, spinning in circles as she went.

Marco rolled his eyes, his grin filled with amusement.

"Come on, Marco! We can't walk that slow."

"Alright, alright. Coming!" Marco ran to catch up with the giddy, twirling Star, then muttered under his breath, "The funny thing is, she doesn't know that her friends are accurate when they say that we're an OTP."

They finally entered Echo Creek's school campus, their eyes meeting lots of people having a fun time talking to their friends and the typical behavior from everyone.

"I SHIP IT!"

Star and Marco both turned around and rolled their eyes, only Star having moaned along with her daily routine of the two girls repeatedly shouting the same thing whenever they see either Star and Marco together or just Marco himself.

"ISHIPITISHIPITISHIPIT!"

"Okay, Janna," Star said, placing her hand on top of Janna's head, trying to stop the teen from bouncing any more. "I think we get the idea."

"I won't shut up," Janna said, still bouncing a little bit. "until my ship comes true. And it's very compatible, so I don't see any reason it shouldn't be canon. So, with that being said…" Janna grinned mischievously. "I SHIP IT!"

"Okaaaay?" Marco raised his hands somewhat defensively, starting to walk backwards and away from Janna and Star. "I'll catch you later, Star, but I'm going to go hide somewhere where I won't have to be yelled at from a person who's merely inches away," Marco said. "And also because Janna's probably going to steal something from me, given her distance from my pockets and my bag."

He turned and ran, gracefully weaving his way through the crowd of fellow students, his own signature black and red fabrics disappearing into the sea of rainbow clothing.

"I just realized something," Janna said suddenly, her usual laid back look replaced with glee and giddiness. "You walked in with Ship Boy. Like, at the same time. That can't be a coincidence, right?"

Star's hearts gave a light, pink glow, and her hands darted up to cover them. But she wasn't fast enough.

Janna gasped, a gleeful sound that filled Star's ears, as the realization hit her hard. "You walked to school with him!"

"Actually he- I- he was- I saw- his- I…"

"YOU DID!" Janna yelled. "YOU REALLY DID!"

"Did what?"

Jackie came up behind Janna, a look of confusion and anticipation on her face.

"Nothing! Nevermind!"

Oh, this is going to be one hell of a situation I'm in.

"It can't be nothing if you're getting Janna to scream with that look on her face."

Janna began to bounce again. Star raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, hoping Janna wouldn't shout out to the whole school.

There was no way Janna wasn't going to say anything.

"STAR WALKED TO SCHOOL WITH SHIP BOY!"

It was Jackie's turn to become giddy and gleeful. "Really? You walked to school with Marco Diaz."

Star couldn't lie to them. 'Sides, they knew when she was lying anyway.

"Yes. I walked to school with him."

"It's happening! It's slowly becoming true! STARCO IS FINALLY HAPPENING PEOPLE!" Janna revealed.

Barely anyone showed a reaction. Some smiled and pumped their fists in victory, finally knowing that Starco was occurring. Some applauded, just because they shipped it too, but it wasn't exactly their life story (why exactly it isn't, I have no idea).

Star scrunched her shoulders as to attempt to hide her glowing hearts, but in a crowd of students that were scrambling to reach their lockers and some sitting or standing to determine if they wanted to get to class early or not, it was a little dark, so her pink, glowing hearts shown brightly and caught some of the attentions of others.

Janna had been grinning at her benevolently, her eyes shining with accomplishment. Jackie hadn't said anything worthwhile, but her smile was enough for somebody to think that she'd just won the lottery.

"Sorryguysgottagobye!" Star said in a bunched up sentence, her tone rushed so she could skedaddle out of that situation.

She ran and ran, weaving her way through everyone. No one showed any care for her sudden appearance and disappearance, in and out of the crowds, knowing full well that it was typical Star Butterfly behavior. She was almost to her first class when she stumbled over her own feet. Star shut her eyes tightly, prepared to meet cold linoleum, but the cold and pain from a fall never came. Somewhat reluctantly, she opened her eyes, only to see a red hoodie and a pair of familiar brown eyes.

"You okay, Star?"

Marco caught her by her waist, his hands' warmth seeping through her clothes.

"Uhhhhh…" Star stared at him for a second longer. "yes."

"Why were you running?"

"I… was trying to get away from my friends," Star finally answered.

"What did they say now?" he asked, a glint of concern and playfulness in his eyes.

"Maybe something along the lines of, 'It's happening! It's slowly becoming true! Starco is finally happening people!'" she muttered.

Marco laughed, a sweet sound that her mind filtered as music. "Wow. Walk to school with a friend and suddenly everyone is shouting out how this Starco Thing is happening."

"I'm your… friend?"

Suddenly, Star didn't care about the Starco Event's previous occurrence. She thought she was Marco's rival.

"Yeah, of course you are. I mean, I've known you for what feels like a long time now," he answered. "Sure, we tease and make fun of each other, but that isn't a licence to believe that we aren't really friends. Besides, why do you care so much about what happened this morning?"

"Maybe my half of the bargain is kinda true…" she murmured. Star's voice dropped to such a quiet volume, it was utterly inaudible to Marco's ears.

"What was that?"

"Maybe my half of the bargain is kinda true…" she said again, her voice a little higher in volume, but still too quiet to be at all coherent.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I said: Maybe. My half. Of the. Bargain. Is True!" Star huffed emphatically. Her argumentative demeanor fell as she interpreted what she'd just said.

That was also when she realized that Marco's hands hadn't faltered from her hips. She was a little bit concerned of what Marco's response might be. But also expectant.

"Hmm… Well, maybe you're not the only one whose end of the so called bargain is fulfilled."

"Wait, what?"

"I like you, Star." His hand wandered over to her own, gripping it tightly.

"At least I know that I'm not driven to a one sided love," Star said. "I like you too, Marco."