Final Words

The day had finally come for the boys and Star to leave Camp Green Lake. It had only been about a couple days after Stanley and Hector left, but it was more than enough for the state to close down the establishment. The Warden, Mr. Sir, nor Dr. Pendanski had returned to the camp after being arrested, so only the officers and smaller workers of the Warden stayed to overlook the boys. This still meant, though, that for those couple of days, they had to dig no holes. Not even one. All D-Tent did was sit around their tent, talk and joke about stuff, and just be in one another's presence. It actually rained a couple more times since Stanley left, which was a plus when it came to the still burning-hot temperatures.

However, as said, time had finally come: it was everyone's last day at camp. However, not as said, was the way they had decided to spend it. The group of seven walked out into the desert, but with smiles on all of their faces. Yes, the walk did take quite some time, yet it was worth it for their final destination. So now, once they finally stood around Sam's old, turned over boat, they each started paying their respects.

"I can't believe this is still here…" Rex said as he shook his head. "After all these years…"

"Weirdest part is, is that it helped Hector stay alive out here," Ricky mused from beside Star. "Wish he still had those peaches, though. I'd wanna try them."

"And the onions, too!" José chirped joyfully. "I wish they weren't on top of a mountain, though. Maybe I could climb it one day."

"Who knew that peaches and onions made such a great combination," Star also said with a warm smile on her face. "The letter from Stanley today said that his family's business is already doing amazing. Peaches and onions are the new best thing to eliminate shoe odor."

Alan snickered at this. "Out of all the things, it oddly makes sense that Stanley's family would get rich over nice smellin' shoes."

"That guy always had style," Theodore sighed, hands in his jumpsuit's pockets. "Can't wait to see him again after we get outta here."

"I wonder if he has any nice cars!" Brian abruptly cheered, making everyone let out a merry laugh. "Whaaat? I'm bein' serious here, guys!"

"We know," Rex chuckled, "and that's why we're laughin'!"

"Yeah, you boys better look out for one another while I'm away. I'm gonna worry too much if you don't." However, when these two sentences left Star's mouth, the entire mood did a one-eighty. They each gave her a scared, confused look in their differently colored eyes, which made Star simply kneel down to place her hand onto the overturned boat. "I… I need to figure some things out. Alone."

"I-Is it about what the Warden said?" Ricky quickly asked while he kneeled down beside her. "Because, if it is, just know that we don't think of you any other-"

"Ricky, I know you don't." Star showed him a smile. "And even though it is about what the Warden said, I nonetheless need to do this alone. I need to figure out the truth behind my family."

"But… B-But we could help you with that!" José exclaimed in an anxious tone. "You don't need to… do it alone."

"We can still stay together," Brian added with a gulp. "…Right?"

"Don't… Please, don't leave us…" When Alan said these words, though, Star almost broke down in tears. Especially when he kneeled down as well and placed his hand over hers. "We can figure it out together."

"Oh, geez, you guys…" Star sniffed away the tears, however, and kept her resolve strong. Yes, their want to stay beside her warmed Star's heart, but she also knew this had to be done by her and her alone. "L-Look, I care about you all so, so much. More than you could ever know. But still, this is something I must do alone, even if you all are my trusted friends."

"But why…?" Theodore mumbled. "Why can't we help?"

"Because you each have your own life to live once you get out of this camp, and I cannot take that life away just for the benefit of myself," Star explained, giving every single boy a soothing smile. "And I get it: you wanna come with me. Yet, even then, I know you each need to accomplish something of your own outside of this camp. I know you have words to say, things to do, and people to see once you go home." Star then pointed her smile down at the words 'Mary Lou'. "And wherever that home way be, just know that I'll think of you every step of the way. Even if we don't see each other for weeks, months, or even years, just know that I will carry your memories everywhere I go. I will learn to fix the falsehoods of my life… by remembering you all."

In response, all the six boys could do was frown silently. They knew Star was right, and even if she were wrong, they knew there was no way they could change her mind. However, since she was right, they accepted her words without any further arguments. The seven merely stared down at the boat, paying their respects in understanding silence.

Rex needed to apologize to his mom and dad.

Theodore needed to reconnect with his mom.

Ricky needed to empathize with his dad.

José needed to find happiness with his family.

Brian needed to find a way to help his parents stop fighting.

And Alan… needed to find a way to help his mom stop drinking.

These six boys were each changed by the time they left Camp Green Lake. But it was not because of the Warden, Mr. Sir, Dr. Pendanski, digging a hole every day, getting only two shower tokens per-week, eating slop for every meal, or getting called criminals every moment of their days. No, they changed because of a girl named Star.

They changed because of the kindest smile they had ever seen.

"Hey, Star," Ms. Morengo greeted Star right after she got out of her black car. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute to say goodbye," Star replied while quickly putting her things inside the car. "It'll only take a few moments."

"Good luck with that," Morengo said with a sympathetic look. "Those boys look like they'll never let you go."

"Well, I honestly don't wanna let them go either, but…" Star shut the car door. "We gotta do what we gotta do, right?"

She nodded. "Yep, we do."

It was then finally time. Star gave Ms. Morengo her own nod before turning around to the other boys, who were all standing in the middle of camp. Their expressions were still slightly depressed, but they showed Star a smile nonetheless. They knew that sending her off with a smile was the least they could do for a girl like Star - it'd make her happier than anything else. Regardless, though, each boy needed to give her their own little present as well. Which made the youngest go first.

"Don't be gone for too long, okay?" Brian murmured into Star's chest after running up and hugging her tightly. "Please come see me soon."

"I will, Brian," Star whispered into his hair, her hands reassuringly holding his head. Likewise, once they hugged for a few more moments, Star leaned away and placed her hands on either of Brian's round cheeks. She leaned down to look at him eye-level, a kind smile on her face, while Brian's cheeks heated up slightly. "And remember, if you are ever scared or unsure of anything, just know that I am one call away. If your parents are fighting, if you feel lost, or even if you just wanna talk, I'll be right there beside you, Brian. You deserve all the beauty and kindness in the world."

"M-Mhm," Brian stuttered with a sniff. "Th-Thank you…"

The sniffling boy then took a few steps away from Star, allowing someone else to say their goodbyes. And almost immediately, Star felt herself pulled into a bear hug that she knew all too well.

"I'm gonna miss you, chulo," José sighed into her ear, causing Star to smile even more as she returned the hug. "What am I gonna do without your smile, huh? O-Or your niceness? I'm gonna be lost without you."

"No, you are not, José," Star stated, hugging him tighter. "You are one of the bravest people I know, and I know for certain you will always try to do what you feel is right in your heart. So follow it, José. Follow what your heart says, and become the person you wanna be. Since, I know for a fact, that the true José is a person that tries to do the right thing even if he fails so many times. And do you know how rare and amazing that trait is?"

"W-Well… I guess if you think it's so amazin', then it must be the best trait ever or somethin', right?" José teased, prompting Star to let out a giggle while she leaned away. She then placed one hand on José's cheek, giving him a warm smile.

"You are one of the best people I know, José. Never stop being yourself."

Even then, though, José couldn't seem to step away from Star after she stroked his cheek and put her hand down. This made Theodore have to softly push him aside by the boy's shoulder to just stand in front of Star. So then, having a slightly guilty smile on his face, Theodore motioned to José about to cry. "Can I be next? Is there room for another person?"

"Haha, I'll always have room for you, Theodore," Star beamed, using Armpit's true name. The true names had slowly started coming back ever since the camp closed, because the D-Tent boys used it to slowly remind themselves that they were going to leave Camp Green Lake. Those nicknames were who they were at camp, not who they truly were. Maybe Dr. Pendanski was right about one thing. "But, um, if there is one thing I need to say to you, Theodore, it's that you need to stop getting into fights. I understand that people can be total dicks," Theodore smirked at the swear word, "but they don't deserve your precious time. You are too good for that."

"I know… I know I am…" Theodore said, his smirk turning into a small smile. "But still, thanks for everythin', Star. If it weren't for you, I'd still be ashamed of myself and workin' to be someone I'd be even more ashamed of in the long run. I have you to thank for Theodore's badass return."

Star could only giggle again at that. "Pfft, Theodore, you are literally the coolest person ever."

"Don't I know it, Vix," Theodore breathed before the two of them simultaneously came in for a hug. It was a courteous, friendly hug that symbolized the two's respect for the other without words. And once they leaned away, the two showed that same respect in their smiles. "C'ya later, Star."

"C'ya later, Theodore," Star said in a warm tone, her smile never leaving even after Theodore walked away. That smile of Star's only got bigger, though, once she saw the next person coming to say goodbye. The girl immediately lifted her hand in an even more polite and respectful way, a twinkle of teasing in her eyes. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the man himself wishing me good luck. By what do I owe the pleasure, boss?"

"Oh, shuddap," Rex teased back as he took Star's hand in a respectful handshake. "Yer such a little vixen, y'know that?"

"You'd know that better than anyone else," Star joked and then turned her expression slightly more serious. "You too, Rex. You be careful out there, and you try your best to be the amazing man I know you are. Your confidence inspired me, Rex, and I will never forget what you have taught me. I'll use it every step of the way."

"Me too, Princess," Rex said, his hand tightening around Star's. "Thank you for standin' up to me and for telling it like it was to my face. That was probably the best thing anyone has ever done for me."

Star smirked. "Yeah, well, you did deserve it."

"Pffft! Oh my god, Star, just hug me!" Rex laughed at her endless teasing, while pulling on Star's hand and bringing her body to his. At first, Star was taken aback by the new touch, but eventually hugged her friend back just as she did with the others. "You be good to yourself out there, okay? Don't waste none of your tears on anybody but yourself."

"Yeah…" Star leaned away to give Rex a hard pat on the shoulder. "I got it, Rex."

"…Gotcha!"

"Haha, hey!" Then it was Ricky's turn after Rex walked back to the others. He surprised her from behind by wrapping his arms around her, tickling Star's sides like a trickster he was. And then, using those same hands on her waist, Ricky used them to swirl Star around to make her fall into his chest. This made Star blush a little at the boyish smile on his face. "Oh, Ricky…"

"Don't make friends with another guy like me, alright?" Ricky then said with an adorable pout. "I wanna be your only crazy boy."

"Ricky…" Star just had to lift up her hand to Ricky's cheek when he frowned at her like that. There was no way she could win against those puppy-dog eyes. "You're my one and only, okay? I promise."

"You're… You're my one and only, too," Ricky cooed, leaning down to place his forehead against Star's. "I'm gonna miss your stories, your animal facts, your smile, your… your words…" Ricky showed her a sad look. "I'm gonna miss our late-night talks, and the way you accept me for all my weirdness. Star, you're… you're the first person I opened up about my mom to, so… so I'm…"

"Hey, hey, hey… I understand, okay?" Star whispered in a compassionate, soothing tone. She placed her last hand onto Ricky's last cheek, stroking underneath both of his beautifully blue eyes. "You helped me find peace in life, too; you've even helped me find peace within myself. Ricky, you mean more to me than you could ever understand, alright? And that will never change. You will always be my number one crazy boy."

"…Good," Ricky sighed before standing up straight. Furthermore, he smiled when he saw someone now standing behind Star. "Stay safe, Star."

"You too, Ricky!" Star beamed once he started walking away. But then, the girl abruptly felt a familiar weight fall onto her shoulders, and Star instantly smiled brighter. "Hey there, you three! How's it going?"

Squeak…! Fido, Jaq, and Gus each replied happily; Fido had climbed down to be held in Star's hand, while Jaq and Gus stayed nestled in Star's neck. But regardless, their presence signaled the entrance of someone else. This boy had been keeping an eye on them ever since Ms. Morengo arrived, so when Star finally turned around to face him, she wasn't surprised whatsoever by the boy standing there.

"Hello there, Alan," Star said kindly. "Thanks for lookin' after them."

"No problem…" Alan shrugged. "Though, I think Fido likes me more than you."

"Oh? Is that true?"

"Yeah, he's obsessed with my smell or somethin'. I don't know. Or maybe you just smell bad."

"Oh?" Star smiled brightly. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, have you smelled yourself in the past few days?"

"Heh. What do I even smell like? Tell me."

"Hm, I don't know… Let me see…" But before Star even knew what was going on, Alan had taken a step closer to her and leaned his face right in the crook of her neck. She immediately froze in place, feeling her cheeks heat up, and gulped as she felt his hot breath against her skin. "You smell… like the other guys."

"Oh! W-Well that would make sense," Star's glanced away, "but why would that… be a bad thing?"

"Because you don't smell like me," Alan growled, suddenly placing his arms right where Ricky's once were and pushing Star's waist right against his. But it was directly after that Star felt… a tinge of pain on her neck. She quickly placed her hands on Alan's shoulders, Fido jumping onto her shoulder, not knowing what to do with them. The girl merely stood there in pure bashfulness while Alan laid another possessive hickey on her neck. However, once the boy had finished with it, he wasn't even close to being done with Star. "Fuck, I adore you…"

"M-Mm…" Star let out the slightest of moans when Alan started trailing kisses up her neck. "A-Alan…"

"Do you even understand what you do to me?" Alan sighed, moving one hand up to stroke Star's neck. He kept her head in place as his lips then reached her beet-red face, showering her jawline, cheeks, temples, forehead, and even nose with light kisses. But once Alan reached her lips, he just pressed his forehead to hers. "Do you even understand how much I want you?"

"I'll… I'll miss you too, Alan…" Star breathed through uneven breaths. "A-And I'm sorry that I have to leave, but… I have to. I have to find out the truth about my family."

"And you really wanna do it alone?" Alan questioned, making Star give him a single nod.

"Yes, I'm sure. I need to… to find meaning in my parent's deaths."

"Okay… Okay, sweetheart," Alan huffed, finally giving in. "Just promise me I'll see you in at least a month, alright? Don't leave me for too long."

"Oh, Alan…" Star lifted her hand to place it against his cheek. "You know I could never do that. I…" Star took a deep breath. "I love you too much to ever do that."

But in response, all Alan could do was just let go. He pulled Star's lips against his, wrapping an arm around her waist and keeping his hand on her neck. Alan relished in the amazing feeling of Star's body touching his, reminding himself that she was real, that she was his, and that the universe didn't make up some horrible dream to taunt him with this perfect girl. This insecure, scared feeling made Alan push open Star's tiny mouth, his hot tongue exploring inside of it for the first time. Oh, and the little moans Star let out… drove him insane.

Alan loved Star more than anything else.

Alan needed Star more than air.

Alan wanted Star more than all the respect in the world.

Alan just… loved Star so, so much.

It didn't matter if they even spent years apart, since this love of his would still stay. Forever. Maybe it was naive, maybe it was just the first-in love-jitters… But whatever it was, made Alan oh-so happy.

Star had become Alan's home.

"…I love you, too," Alan finally said after he stopped kissing her. "I love you so damn much, Star."

"Just… Just don't get into any more fights, okay?" When Star teased this, however, the two shared another laugh. "I'm serious, though! Don't be reckless!"

"Yeah, yeah… I got it…" Alan nuzzled his nose against Star's. "I'll stay safe, Star."

"Good…" Star said with a sniff and then it was her turn… to take a step away. Regardless of her sniff to keep her tears in, though, she was already crying by the time she saw all her friends walk up beside Alan. They each gave her a teary-eyed wave, sad yet joyful smiles on their faces. And once Star reached the black car, animals in her hands, she gave them a wave of her own. "Thank you. Thank you, all of you. I'll see you again soon… Goodbye."

Star then followed Ms. Morengo into the car, buckled up her seatbelt, and allowed her to start driving off. The girl's eyes never left her friends' eyes once, however, as she continued to cry at their ever-distancing bodies. And when Star couldn't see them anymore, she started crying even more. Loud, painful cries. Ms. Morengo let her weep in silence, while her three furry friends snuggled up beside her.

That was the end of Star's story at Camp Green Lake. And as she drove away, the ghosts of Sam and Kate waved her a farewell goodbye as well.