All original characters, dialog and situations used from Star vs The Forces of Evil are © 2015-2019 The Walt Disney Company.
It was no secret, the way that we feel.
A love that's so pure, a love that's so real.
You showed me your world, and it felt like a sign.
But you acted too slow, and you ran out of ti-i-ime.
And now we'll be just friends...
Star sat in her bean bag chair, her room darkened, staring out the window. Her heart ached so bad, she felt it in her entire body. The day had its ups and downs, but come evening, at the start of the concert, she'd felt happier than she'd felt in a long time. Then ... everything went to hell when it happened.
Star jumped, surprised by a knock on her door.
"Star, may I come in?" It was Marco.
Star dabbed at her face with the hem of her skirt, to wipe away the evidence of her crying. "Yes, come in," she called.
Marco entered, switching on the lights. Seeing the state Star was in, he felt a tug on his heartstrings. "Star, are you okay?"
Star looked at the clock. Confused, she asked, "The concert isn't over for at least half an hour. What's wrong? Is Jackie okay?"
"She's fine. She's still at the concert. But I couldn't enjoy myself because I was so worried about you."
Star forced a smile. "I'm fine," she lied. Her smile wavered as she read Marco's face, seeing that he clearly wasn't buying it.
"Star, your eyes are red and puffy. Your skirt is wet where you wiped away your tears. You left a concert by your favorite band, that you had been super excited to go to. You clearly set your bed on fire. Call me crazy, but I think something is wrong."
Star sighed. Time to get awkward, she thought. Unable to look Marco in the eyes as she confessed, she turned to look out the window.
"Seeing you kiss Jackie is what's wrong."
"What? When I apologized you said you were okay with it."
"I lied."
"Why?"
"I ... have a crush on you."
Marco stared at Star in surprise. After a few moments, he looked to the side, brow furrowed in thought. After a few more moments he looked back at Star, declaring, "It was you."
Star turned back to him. "Me?"
"You. The sleepover. The Truth Box. You were the one lying."
Star looked away. "I'm sorry, Marco."
Marco again furrowed his brow, looking at the signs of Star's anguish, the bits and pieces of destroyed objects scattered about the room.
"I don't understand. After the Blood Moon Ball ..."
"I said I needed a friend," Star interrupted. "A boyfriend is still a friend, although I wasn't at that point yet."
"Oh," Marco replied. "Oskar?"
Star could only shrug.
"Fair enough. But ... why did you push so hard for me to be with Jackie?"
"I wanted you to be happy. I want you to be happy. I thought she'd make you happy."
"Oh," Marco replied again. Realizing what she was implying about herself, he asked, "Star, did it never occur to you that Iiiiii ... might have ... crashed the Ball ... out of jealousy?"
"What?" Star exclaimed, louder than she intended.
"Don't get me wrong, I was genuinely concerned that Tom hadn't really changed, and I turned out to be right. I don't say that to make you feel bad, it's just a statement of fact ... okay, maybe I said it to make you feel a little bad." Marco grinned.
Star couldn't help grinning back, no matter how bad she felt. Seeing his bestie smile made Marco's heart thump with joy.
"I was very upset that you went to the Ball with Tom and left me behind. At the very least I was jealous that my best friend was spending the evening with somebody else. But ... maybe there was more to it. Our first day was a bit rocky, but that same evening, when Ludo attacked, we made an awesome team fighting him off. I felt like we made a connection that night, a connection I've never had with anybody else. In the months since, that feeling has just gotten stronger."
Star couldn't believe what she was hearing. Could he have read more of my journal than he let on? she thought. Hesitantly, she responded, "Me too. I connected with you in a way I've never connected with another person. It was just friends at first ... but it became more."
"Star ... I left the girl I've pined over for years alone in the stands, right after a kiss, to chase after you to make sure you were okay. I couldn't enjoy the rest of the concert because I was worried about you; did you think I wouldn't know it was you who blew up that billboard and scared the bejeebus out of everybody? I left my girlfriend behind at the concert ... I didn't even escort her home ... to come home to check on you."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying ... whether either of us likes it or not, this makes things different. I need to think about that. I hope you're not offended by this, but ... for as open as we've been about discussing our feelings about others, we're clearly both terrible at discussing all our feelings about each other."
"Oh."
"Can we promise to talk openly like this again? It might be a couple days, I'm really confused right now. But I will talk with you about this again, I promise."
"I promise I'll talk with you, too."
Marco turned and left, going to his room. He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts in turmoil.
He thought about his years pining for Jackie ... yet he had learned little about her in that time, and still knew little about her, even after stating in front of his friends that he wanted to get to know her.
He thought about how he had learned so much about Star so quickly. About how they knew each other so well that they made an almost unbeatable team. With a start, he realized he'd been a doofus, never asking himself why everybody, after seeing them together for only a few minutes, thought they were a couple.
He remembered that Star was willing to give away her family heirloom, then destroyed it, to save him. The consequences for Mewni, possibly even the entire multiverse, could have been dire, and nobody, except Marco's parents, would have faulted her for letting Marco die instead. Yet she didn't hesitate to destroy it. For him. Would Jackie do that? Marco thought she very well might ... but Star did.
Then he thought ...
Wiping away the sudden torrent of tears, he got up to return to Star's room.
Marco knocked on Star's door, then entered. She had fallen asleep in her chair and was snoring up a storm. Adorable, Marco thought, smiling.
"Star," he said quietly, as he shook her awake.
"Wha?" Star said sleepily. "Is something wrong?"
Marco smiled at her. "No. It's time to talk."
Star's eyes widened in shock. She looked at the clock ... it had been only twenty minutes. She visibly deflated. This can't be good, she thought.
Marco noticed Star's body sag, and her bottom lip poke out a little, trembling. "No," Marco said forcibly.
Star looked at Marco in confusion as he sat on the floor in front of her.
"Star, I thought about Jackie. I thought about us. I thought about who I know better, and who knows me better. I thought about our adventures. I thought about how good a team we are. I thought about how you destroyed your wond for me. I thought about spending less time with you because of being with Jackie, and that's when I got very upset."
"Oh, Marco, I'm so sorry that ..."
"No," Marco interrupted. "Then I thought about you returning to Mewni to give me and Jackie some space. I thought about losing Jackie, or losing you, and what each loss would mean to my life ... and I literally burst into tears."
Misunderstanding, Star said, "If that's what you want, if Jackie means that much to you, I'll go back to Mewni." A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Marco groaned audibly. Why does she have to be such a cute idiot? he thought. He looked into Star's eyes, seeing the despair, and he felt a wave of boldness come over him. Taking her hands, he asked, "Okay, can we kiss?"
"Uh ... please."
We spiraled high on a gust of love,
and I knew right from the start,
nothing could tear us apart...
And I was right.
Stay amazing!
