Notes:

Finally past the religion bit and back to adventuring with our primary pair! Star and Marco go on a little run, and we get a reminder that Star's father can canonically run 200 mph...

Chapter 21

We end up eating a big lunch after that conversation. My father doesn't join us, but Mom assures us that he'll be fine after a day of moping. If not, she'll give him a tune up before morning. Today's lunch ends up being Spaghetti, which Star both loves and gets absolutely everywhere. I'm not sure exactly how she manages it, but she enjoys slurping up one noodle at a time and violently throwing spaghetti sauce all around in the process.

Needless to say, we end up grabbing a shower after that, get dressed, and then we're heading out. I still have my BABY to get! "So, Tom huh? What made you end up breaking up with him?" I ask, unsure why I'm all that curious about it. Perhaps I just want something to fill up the still kind of awkward silence between us as we walk towards Echo Creek High. I don't think there are exactly any hard feelings between us about all that happened, but it feels like we've been thrown off our comfortable rhythm.

"Oh, Tom. Ugh, I-" Star's face twists into a look of frustration, her voice full of displeasure. She cuts herself off before she can finish whatever that thought might have been, however, after a quick glance at me. I get the feeling she might not have wanted to talk about him anymore, but perhaps she was feeling the need for a new topic to discuss as well.

"Look, I get it. He gets angry a lot. He's a demon, it's hard for him to control. But I guess I just expected him to, you know, grow up enough to handle it? It feels like he's still five years old sometimes, throwing big magical tantrums every time something happens he doesn't like." Star shakes her head, leaning fully into her rant about her ex to the point she starts wildly gesticulating with her arms. "And when we started growing apart, he got super clingy! He refused to give me any space. He even started doing creepy demon rituals to tie us together, I think he might even have been following me around…"

Damn. That's way worse than I was expecting, honestly. From the way she had talked about him earlier I kind of expected a reasonably normal dude in spite of the demon stuff, if an absolute jerk. This sounds like… a predator. I reach over to grip Star's shoulder, and when she turns to look at me give her an encouraging smile. "It sounds like you did the right thing to break up with him. On Earth, we'd call that kind of guy a stalker and call the police if they pushed too far. And, hey, you're in a completely different dimension! It's not like this guy would follow you here, right?"

"Oh, no, he probably totally would. I just have to hope he's given up on me. Demons can connect to a lot of places from their underworld nexus, so he wouldn't even have that much trouble following me here. Stalker is definitely a good name for him…" Star pats my hand and returns a smile herself. This is what I was after, a connection again. That wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, though. She could have a demon stalker ex after her…? If he's anything like the one Janna summoned, I'm not sure my martial arts are going to do much to protect her. I really need to get stronger.

"Well, I guess that's just one more adventure to have if it ends up becoming a problem. Here's hoping it waits a couple weeks, at least." I shrug my shoulders with a bit of discomfort, my bruised up body having only just started healing. I guess I should be glad I didn't break anything, that would have made training at the dojo difficult. "Hey, you've never ridden a bike before right? Maybe we can do that today!"

"Yay! I have no idea what that is, but let's do it. Can't be any harder than a Warnicorn." Star smacks her fist into an empty palm, her game face on. I'm starting to be able to tell when she expects something to be a fight, her usual innocent smile gets a sharper edge and her eyes squint just a little.

"Oh, don't underestimate it! It took me three months to learn how to ride a bike." Of course, I was an incredibly stubborn three year old who didn't believe in training wheels at the time, but she doesn't need to know that. I tend to achieve what I set my mind on doing, even if it takes me a while. Just like I'm certain I'll end up with Jackie eventually! Just need a few more, uh, years of trying? God, that's a depressing thought.

"Three months? That sounds like a Challenge!" The excitement of the moment gets to Star and she begins sprinting down the sidewalk in a burst of speed. She damn near appears to be flying down the sidewalk, how fast can she run?! I can't let her just leave me behind like this, and so I begin running after her. Every impact my foot makes with the ground vibrates up my battered body and I still don't make much of any progress in catching her.

When she's just at the edge of my vision and I'm afraid of losing her completely, something changes. My heart starts beating almost uncomfortably fast and that heartburn feeling comes back. Within moments I've caught up to Star, feeling like I'm probably running faster than I could ride my bike. But the look on her face when she turns back to see that I'm keeping pace with her completely blasts away my questions about what is happening-pure exhilaration at finding someone who can catch her, be her partner even when she lets herself go and be free. Maybe I'm ascribing too much to a simple happy look, I don't know her all that well yet after all, but I like to think that's what she's feeling.

We two kids on our own little adventure speed through the rest of Echo Creek to our destination. Whoever takes the lead depends on the situation. When it's a mostly clear shot, I take us the quickest way towards our destination. When things get chaotic, whether that be running through a busy street (Oh god, I'm jaywalking now! What is this girl doing to me?) or passing through an unexpected construction site I hesitate and Star pulls ahead to find the way forwards. It's not a fight, but it's still one of the most exhilarating experiences I've ever had!

At the speed we're going, we make it to the school in just a few minutes. I point towards where I can see a glint of shiny red paint at the bike rack, and we swerve to finally come to a stop right in front of my baby. I planned to immediately give it the hugs and kisses it deserves, but fatigue hits me like a truck. My vision goes a bit dark at the edges and I lean over against the bike rack to gasp for air. As my chest slowly cools down, my lungs inform me that I desperately need oxygen and my bruises inform me that they were deeply displeased by all the violent jostling around. I guess I was so in the zone I didn't even *feel* them during the run here.

Star walks up and pats my back, looking concerned. Damn her alien genetics. She's a bit out of breath and sweaty at most, while I feel like I'm about to pass out. Luckily I avoid embarrassing myself and manage to stay conscious. After a few minutes of sucking down air, I feel mostly fine other than being soaked in sweat. "Marco, how hard were you pushing yourself to keep up? I'm not sure humans are supposed to run that fast. Heck, most Mewmans can't keep up with me, the Johansen blood makes sure of that."

I hold up a finger to silently ask Star for another moment to recover myself. Once I feel capable of making a sentence without gasping, I turn to give my new best friend a stern look. "We talked about this, Star. You will not hold yourself back for me. I'll keep up, no matter what."

She frowns for a brief moment, then shrugs and smacks me on the back. "Suit yourself, Diaz. And you seem fine now, so I'm probably worried over nothing." The girl rolls her eyes at herself, then begins looking around the bikes in the rack. There aren't many there of course, most people actually remembering to take them home over the weekend. "These are bikes, I guess? Which one is yours?"