"Hey, hey, now, Marco. It's not that big a deal…" Gently, Star and I sit on either side of Marco in the cafeteria.
"It sort of is." Bluntly, I deadpan as Star tries to console Marco over yet another failure of asking Jackie out. Calmly, I sip my soda watching Star cheer up the sorry mess.
"Ash is right. I heard what happened. Everyone's talking about it. Welp, looks like you should just give up on dating forever." Bluntly, Janna greets Marco sitting by my side.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm not gonna let being tongue-tied stop me. Pen me!" Sternly, he orders as I sigh passing him a napkin while Star gives him a pen.
"Hey, uh, Jackie?" Bravely, Marco approaches Jackie as I get out my phone.
"What are you doing?" Janna questions me.
"I have a feeling knowing Marco this is going to go so wrong so I;m recording it besides if it does work he'll appreciate it." Simply, I shrug.
"A win, win situation smart." Janna praises as I record the two.
"Oh, hey, there you are. I got your paper towels." Smiling, Janna pass him some paper towels.
"Oh, uh... Here's some paper for you." Nervously, he giggles as he hands paper to Jackie.
"Marco can't grow hair on his chin, but he can on his back?" Frowning, Jackie furrows her brow as she reads it out loud as I turn my phone to see Janna stand up.
"Ha!" Smirking, she points to Marco then turns to the camera as I continue on recording this beauty.
"What?! Marco can't grow hair on his chin, but he can on his back?!" Horrified, Marco takes back the paper and whispers it out loud in horror. Nervously, he backs away from Jackie and crashes into Chet, spilling his lunch on his jacket.
"Bro, my jacket." Disappointed, the swimmer sighs.
"Oh, uh, sorry, Chet." Maroc apologises.
"No worries. It's just a material possession." Chet assures him sadly.
"Marco thinks Chet should punch him…" Suddenly, Marco blurts out surprising us all.
"What?" Chet frowns as slowly, I lower my phone passing it to Janna.
"No, no, no! I mean, if-if Marco were Chet, he'd totally punch Marco." Marco panics making Janna, Star and I share a concerned look.
"It's just a jacket, dude." Chet assures him.
"Marco would lose all respect for Chet if Chet didn't punch Marco?!" Surprised, Marco blurts out grabbing Chet's arm.
"Don't... Don't make me do this bro…" Chet begs but Marco does it for him, grabbing Chet's fist and slamming it into his face. Horrified, I rush over to Marco's side, Star joining me as we help him up.
"Let's get some cie on this." I reason as we drag him over to a fountain, where the girls place water on his eye and I return with an ice pack, making him smile grateful as I gently place it on his eye.
"Marco thinks Ash is secretly afraid of being kind and caring because she doesn't want to be seen as weak…even though that's her most attractive side," Suddenly, Maroc blurts out making my eyes widen alongside the others.
"Um…" Awkwardly, I hum out not sure what to say to that.
"No Ash I…" Scared, Marco panics as I shake my head, placing the ice in his hand for him to put on his eye.
"What happened in there?" Lost, Star questions.
"I don't know what got into me. Every time I'm around Jackie, I keep blurting out the wrong thing." Marco confesses to us just as said girl walks by.
"Every night when Marco goes to sleep, he shapes his pillow in the form of Jackie Lynn Thomas! And kisses it goodnight!" Loudly, Maroc blurts out making my yellows dilate in horror and disgust from his words.
"That is screaming a restraining order." I mutter disgusted.
"Did you say something?" Fortunately, Jackie turns to him as urgently, Marco muffles his speech with his hands. After it cuts out, he falls over and starts groaning. Black clouds gather in the sky.
"Marco, what's happening?" Concerned, Star questions him as Maroc falls to his knees crying out making our eyes widen.
"Janna you still got that silver bullet?" I ask as she nods her head passing it to me as Maroc begins some sort of transformation.
"Wait. Let's see where this goes." Janna tells Star and I.
"After that? How else could it get worse?" I question baffled as Jana smirks shrugging. Pained, Marco continues to scream until a smaller head pops out of his neck.
"Hello." Perkily, the creatures pops out as mine and Janna's eyes narrow at the oddly familiar creature.
"Oh, you made a little Marco Junior." Sweetly, Star smiles.
"Reminds me of a Dracula maybe it's the widow peak," I mutter in thought.
"'Sup, Marco Junior?" Smirking, Janna shakes Marco's hand as the creature smiles.
"Janna, that's... that's not his hand. That's..." Shakily, Marco begins.
"Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. Marco Diaz covers the mirror when he showers because... because, because Marco is ashamed of his own body!" Naysaya cackles.
"Isn't that normal?" Confused, I question.
"Oh, it's so adorable." Star praises the boil making me grimace frowning at Star's strange, cute category.
"Are you crazy?! How am I ever gonna ask out Jackie like this?!" Panicked, Marco cries just as Jackie approaches again and greets us. Scared, Maroc gaps gently holding my shoulders as he hides behind me.
"Hey." Calmly, Janna and I greet Jackie.
"Ash did you get the English homework assignment?" Jackie questions me.
"Marco thinks..." Quickly, Marco muffles the little head with his hoodie.
"Oh, I can show you, Jackie. Come with me." Nervously, Star volunteers and leads Jackie away just as Janna and I glance at one another and nod.
"That's it. I remember where I've seen you before." Brightly, Janna smiles.
"I thought I had an idea." I mutter recalling faintly the creature.
"Hey, where'd you get my combination?" Confused, Marco frowns as Janna easily opens Marco's locker.
"Ash." Janna points at me.
"And you?" Tired, Marco asks.
"From your diary." Casually, I lean against the locker by his one just as Janna removes the back panel to reveal a hole in the wall lit by a candle.
"What is that stuff?" Surprised, Marco questions.
"Just some of my personal things. I've seen Marco Junior somewhere before." Smirking, Janna pulls out a book entitled "Paranormal Folklore and Witchcraft, 5th Edition".
"Stop calling it that!" Annoyed, Marco scowls.
"Here. "The Naysaya. The Naysaya grows out of the neck of its victim." Janna recites.
"Oh yeah I remember I called it a neck pimple." I chuckle.
"Naysaya begs your pardon? Naysaya is no pimple and Yes, that is Naysaya when Naysaya was younger." He frowns at me.
"It reveals itself when the afflicted attempts to woo their true love, exposing the victim's deepest, darkest secrets for all to hear." I read out loud.
"And to judge." Giggling, Naysaya smiles.
"What the heck is that thing?" Warily, Marco frowns at the crimson figure plotting in the background, oh no…
"Oh, that's a demon. The Naysaya is a total demon curse." Janna confirms.
"A demon." Annoyed, Marco groans glancing at me as I sigh, taking out my scissors and opening a portal for us to leap through as we go pay a visit to a pair of twins…
"Come on, come on, no, no, no!" Annoyed, Marco and I cross our arms as we watch Tom and Michael play Mario kart, Michael is Luigi and Tom, Mario as Tom is in first, the final lap when he is about to reach the finish line however, a familiar troll that is the blue shell appears as Michael sneakily steals the win.
"Hah Karma!" Victorious, Michael cackles at his win.
"You blue shelled me I'm your brother!" Angrily, Tom snarls a pillar of fiery red shooting out, hitting and burning one of the servants.
"This is justice!" Cackling, he declares slamming his switch controller to the ground only to stop and cough sheepishly, flustered when seeing my unamused expression.
"Are you done?" Tiredly, I question the tow shying away scared.
"Oh, right sorry. Dude, I'm so sorry. I totally put that curse on you to prevent you from asking out Star." Apologetically, Tom tells Marco.
"Did you know about this?" I question Michael.
"No. You think I'd let him when did you anyway?" Curious, he questions his brother.
"After the ball when you went to visit rich pigeon." Tom answers.
"Oh right…" Michael hums out loud as I groan.
"Why would you do something like that?" Lost, Marco scowls.
"That was before we started hanging out. You haven't asked out a girl since the Blood Moon Ball? That's way more embarrassing than that thing on your neck." Laughing, Tom chuckles only to be cut off by his brother's elbow stopping him.
"How do I get rid of it?" Sighing, he questions the two.
"You have to wait." Simply, Michael shrugs gently picking up his switch as I note him choosing rainbow road for the next course, the original making Tom groan glaring playfully at his troll of an older brother.
"Eh, just let it run its course. Once it's shouted all your worst, most shameful secrets, it'll wear off." Casually, Tom informs him.
"And how long will that take?" Marco grumbles.
"It depends. How insecure are you?" Michael questions him making both mine and Marco's eyes widen, both knowing the grim truth of that answer.
"...Oh. No." Marco glances at me and nods. Slickly, I pull out dimensional scissors and opens a portal.
"Good luck, dude." Tom calls out to us.
"Don't worry, I'll tell mum and dad they may have an idea," Michael offers.
"Dude!" Scowling Tom glares at his brother as they continue their game.
"Right I have an idea…are you willing?" Sternly, I question Marco making him furrow his brow but sigh.
"I'll do anything!" Desperate, he begs as I nod instructing him to get to his bedroom as I get out my knife.
"Right look Marco everything will be fine I got rid of Mr Diaz wart I can get rid of this Naysaya…" Calmly, I assure him as I call out to him from the bathroom.
"Will it hurt?" Fearful, he questions leaning against the wall desperate to muffle the naysay.
"Oh yeah but don't worry you'll get a scar you can show that off to Jackie." Hopeful, I offer as my ears hear the gushing sound of blue crashing down on my hands. I wash my hands, getting ready for it.
"I don't know about this…" Uncertain, Maroc glances to the side.
"Relax I have experience I know what I'm doing besides you're uncertain on everything." Jokingly, I point out.
"And what if the Naysaya says anything?" Worried, he questions making me scoff confidently rolling my eyes.
"Marco I've known for you years nothing that guy will say will creep me out well apart from that Jackie Lynn kissing pillow thing, that is going to haunt me for the rest of my life now then…huh?" Confused, my brow furrows as I wash my hands only then to feel an odd itch on my wrist which I easily scratch ,only then to furrow my brow at the flake of skin coming off but then frown at my arm. Perplexed, I stare down my arm to discover glimpses of…grey? Quickly, I dive my sleeve down shaking my head brushing off the brief figment of my imagination as I exit out of the bathroom, getting a wet tea towel for the blood. I make my way into Marco's room finding him all huddled up by pillows.
"Something wrong?" Concerned, he questions me.
"No…it's…it's nothing." I assure him.
"Marco loved the dress Ash wore at the party!" Loudly, Naysaya blurts out.
"Stop!" Marco pleads.
"Maroc relax it was a good dress. You're going to have to try better than that." Smugly, I cackle at the foolish Naysaya.
"Marco thinks Ash looks better with her hair tied up!" Naysaya blurts out.
"That's a compliment hah!" I smirk back at my win as I lean down on Marco's bed as he lies down while he removes his hoodie, revealing the Naysaya in his glory, untied, his mouth open to the world.
"Marco thinks Ash can do better than Michael!" Stunned, I blink taken aback by his words.
"Huh?" Confused my brow furrowed.
"Naysaya stop!" Marco pleads.
"No continue…" I probe, my brow furrowed.
"Marco thinks Michael will hurt Ash. Marco thinks Michael is too much like Ash!" Begging, he pleads.
"Marco what did Tom say? Marco? Ash is the procedure working?" Loudly, Star's voice rings out as she knocks on the door.
"I…I need to sharpen my blade." Frowning, I get off Marco's bed my brow furrowed, my grip tightening on the hilt of my knife.
"Ash wait! I'm sorry! Ash!" Pleadingly, Marco begs to me as I sigh shaking my head as I leave him in his room, not sure what to say or even think from his words, are Michael and I an okay couple? Are we too alike? Would he...hurt me? No, no, he wouldn't, he couldn't, he…
"Marco, it's just a demon curse. Don't let Naysaya keep you from what you want. Okay. The door is cutting off the circulation to my finger, so I better get going. Ooh, tingly." Star's finger pops out from the bottom of the door with a smiley face on it making me sigh as I approach.
"Besides I got school…" I tell Marco flinching as I open the door startling Star.
"You okay?" Concerned, Star questions me as I smile tightly at her.
"I'm fine come on we got school." I remind her as we head to school…