Notes:

We get to meet Ferguson and Alfonzo! I played up both of their personalities a bit farther than the show ever really showed, do you guys agree with how I'm portraying them? Let me know in the comments!

Chapter 16

I lead us towards Fergusson's room, figuring his parents would be busy in the kitchen for a while after their customary weird greeting. I used to not bother knocking on my friends door when I walked in, but after a rather terrifying experience that I'm doing my best to forget from last year, I've changed my ways.

A couple taps on his door later and I see a thin guy with a curly jew-fro and thick glasses pull it open, "Marco! And random girl I don't know! Ferguson, we've got company." Alfonzo moves out of the doorway to open up the pathway into Ferguson's room. I find myself wondering how Star will think of seeing the room of a teenage boy from Earth for the first time, as most people don't have the same religious devotion to cleanliness as I do.

"Wha? Isn't that the girl who almost burned down the school?" An overweight redhead with bright green eyes glances up at us from where he currently sits flopped on a bean bag, game controller in hand. Both of my friends are dressed rather casually in sweat pants and t-shirts, Alfonzo's much too large for him. Is he borrowing some of Ferguson's stuff again? The room itself is casually decorated with posters referencing various games and movies, and liberally coated in trash, old food, and dirty clothes. Smells about like you'd expect from a fourteen year old boy's room.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Star claims innocently, widening her eyes. I had no idea she was half that good an actor. Either she really doesn't remember, or she's had a criminal amount of practice claiming to be innocent of her ill deeds. I think both possibilities are about equally likely.

"I'm just glad it apparently ended with only 'almost'. This is Star Butterfly, the new exchange student. She's from Mewni, which is uh. Apparently a different dimension. Go figure, we aren't alone in the universe after all." I shrug, realizing why Star tends to cast a big spell whenever she does her introductions. The claim is more than a little bit impossible to believe without seeing it with your own two eyes. Honestly, I've been so caught up in the craziness that is my life with her that I haven't really adjusted my worldview to realize how much bigger everything really is. Who knows how many dimensions there are? How many have sentient life, or things we couldn't even comprehend?

Ferguson struggles up to his feet in what I'm sure he thinks of as a graceful maneuver, before swaggering over to me. He leans an elbow on my shoulder with a confident smirk, "Marco Diaz, my man. Serving up a hottie on a platter for me, right here in my room? I knew there was a reason we're friends." Completely ignoring anything outside of the fantasy world he lives in, as usual. He's a great guy, but I swear he's even crazier than his parents. Star doesn't seem to know what to make of the round red-head's ridiculously forward nature. Honestly, I think she's still trying to come to grips with how this kid had managed to come from his overwhelmingly attractive parents.

"Ferguson O'durguson, sweet cheeks. I'm into foreign chicks. Where're you from again? Like, past New York?" Alfonzo wrings his hands behind his much wider friend, clearly worried that the redhead is going to get himself slapped again. At least 'Casanova' here isn't using his sharpied on stomach face trick yet, most of the time he starts with that one.

"I'm the Crown Princess of the Butterfly kingdom! And you aren't exactly my type, sorry. Wait-" Star squints at Ferguson, taking this whole thing much better than I expected. Maybe she's already pretty experienced with dating, or something? She comes off as immature as hell, but I really don't know much about Star yet, "Maybe with a stache?" Her wand snaps up and flashes a pink beam at Ferguson's face. The spell resolves itself into a truly impressive red mustache wider than the rest of his face with twirled up tips. "Nope! Sorry, better luck hitting on the next princess you find."

Both of my human friends stare with wide eyes at Star, who descends into a giggling fit. The first glimpse of real magic is always a shock, as you come to slowly realize that you aren't dealing with just a crazy girl lost in her own imagination. You're dealing with a magic princess, who happens to also be both crazy and often last in their own imagination. Alfonzo reaches around Ferguson to tug at his mustache, and both of them yelp when they simultaneously realize that it's real.

I disengage from the trio as they begin bombarding Star with the standard nerdy questions a teenage boy might ask a magic user upon finding out that it's real. What her world is like, are elves real, can they learn magic, can he keep the mustache, you get the picture. I busy myself with some desperately needed cleanup while they manage their introductions, Alfonzo eventually getting around to explaining that his father is a very very busy Veterinarian. He tends to stay with Ferguson rather than sitting around an empty home.

Once I have the room in a livable state, I begin setting up a game for us. You might think I would feel used, cleaning up someone else's room and doing all the prep work for us to have fun. The thing is, I've never once been asked to do anything for Ferguson but I literally can't help myself sometimes. He's just such a slob now and again, organizing chaos is writ into my bones. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn't plan out something we could all enjoy getting to know each other with? They might never notice how I smooth things along, but it'll never stop me from doing so.

"Hey, kids. I've got zombies set up. Who wants to see how many rounds we can go?" I call over to the trio of excited teens still standing around the doorway. Each of us has a beanbag and game controller set out, the game ready to start on the television with a press of a button. Ferguson was kind enough to always keep a spare bean bag for any exchange students I brought along, after getting a set for the rest of us.

Star gasps, her eyes sparkling, "Soft chairs!" she makes a face first dive onto the one clearly set for me by its maroon color. I don't really blame her for ignoring the bland grey exchange student one, but it still stings to have my seat taken! Ferguson thumps back onto his prison jumpsuit orange bag, while Alfonzo delicately folds his legs under himself before taking a seat on his beige bag o' beans.

"C'mon Star, that one was mine." I whine a little, before obediently taking the bland leftover. At least it's still super comfy, as they all are. Star only wiggles around on the bag in answer, happily exploring the brand new feeling. I wonder how a medieval age person would react to sitting on a beanbag for the first time? Maybe a normal person might even panic a bit, but Star reacts to the new experience as she always does-with joy and excitement at the new challenge.

Once she masters sitting up straight on her chair, we move onto the next exceptionally difficult task. The following few hours consist of all three of us Earthlings doing our damndest to teach Star how to play videogames, primarily the zombie killing multiplayer game we tend to prefer. It doesn't go that well, unfortunately. While she loves the idea of the game with a passion even I wasn't expecting, she'd never before even seen a gun, much less a video game controller. There was a lot to go over. Shockingly, she seemed to remember all of it with a burning zeal that I can only attribute to her monster slaying side. I imagine a few more study sessions like that one, and she'll be ready for actually playing.