Chapter 3: A Decision to Make

"I cannot believe you crashed my date, Marco!" Chewed out; I knew I would be.

"Star – I… I was just trying to protect you…"

"Protect me?! Marco…!" She put her hands on her hips and huffed.

"He said that your souls would be bound forever! He was trying to trap you, Star! Trap you! And after he left you all those months ago, too."

"And look what happened now! Now Tom thinks you like him over a stupid phrase!"

My expression dropped. "A… A phrase…?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course it's a phrase, Marco! 'Binding them for eternity'? Come on! The Blood Moon Ball is hosted every 667 years by Tom's family – I mean, they're demon royalty! And every time they use that stupid phrase with their stupid crystal and their stupid spotlight to… to goad poor girls and guys into thinking they have to be with him forever!"

I had to sit back for a minute to let the thought sink in. "So… So he wasn't gonna force you to marry him or… anything crazy?"

"No! No he wasn't! It's –"

But before she could continue, two familiar losers came crashing into my room. "Yo~!" Ferguson was yelling.

"So, Marco. Word along the grapevine is that you finally got to dance with somebody?!" Ferguson shook my shoulders. I backed off, glaring at Star.

"What? He was hanging around your window when you were changing into your jammies, so I told him you'd finally danced with someone!"

"Star! You know telling them this kinda crap makes them think they have every right to barge into my room – naked or clothed, rain or shine – and ask about it!"

"You guys did that when I kissed that fairy chick…" Ferguson murmured.

"So who was she?!" Alfonzo grabbed my shirt with an almost-wild look on his face. "Was she pretty? Was… Was it… Jackie Lynn Thomas?!"

I flushed bright red. If only… "No, it wasn't Jackie Lynn Thomas! It wasn't even a person! It was a demon!"

"A demon?! Yo… whoa… dude I hear they're mad cute." Ferguson mumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "Where did you hear that?"

"They're like… succubuses right? Mythology book say they're hot."

"Ferg!" I grit my teeth, turning a brighter red. I had to get one fact straight, but I didn't like it. "He was a guy!"

The two of them went silent. Star, by then, had sat down on the windowsill, arms crossed and looking away from me. So she wasn't really all that mad, just annoyed.

Ferguson broke out again. "You danced with a guy demon?! Dude, I can't believe this!"

"So he was an incubus, then." Alfonzo chimed in.

I rolled my eyes. "No, guys! He was just… just a normal guy with horns… and three eyes… and gray skin… He was nice, okay?!" I huffed, feeling horribly embarrassed. At least they didn't know he kissed me…

"Nice? Marco, he's bad news!" Star finally spoke again. She marched back up to me. "You said so yourself why it was a bad idea for me to go to the ball with him! He's a creep and a jerk! He says something and means something else! Crazy anger issues, remember? Literally becomes an uncontrollable ball of rage?!"

"Sounds like you really knocked one out of the park, Marc."

I rolled my eyes in response to Ferguson. "Star… maybe I was wrong about him."

"And maybe you were wrong to throw me out of the blood moon's light, huh?!"

"Star, I know I was wrong for doing that! I didn't know that he was really trying to fix his anger. I thought he was the same jerk that dumped you."

"Ugh!" She groaned loudly, "And he is! He's still a jerk through and through, Marco! Even without the anger. It's not even his outbursts that make him terrible! It's everything else!"

"Star…" I started, but I didn't want to fight her. She knew more about the guy than I did. Maybe he was playing me, hook, line, and sinker.

I didn't get to finish my thought as, right in the middle of my bedroom, a portal opened up with a familiar flaming coach, drawn by a skeletal horse. The door was kicked open by a dark leather boot, and Tom emerged from it with a 50s look – the leather jacket, white shirt, and jeans. He had his three-eyed sunglasses as he stepped out, hands in his pockets.

Ferguson and Alfonzo gave each-other this look, because now they knew who this 'guy demon' was.

And Tom gave me this look, because now he knew who he danced with, who deceived him. He'd danced with that jerk! Marco Diaz! He'd kissed that jerk! Marco Diaz!

I couldn't tell his expression past his shades. I couldn't tell if he was upset, or neutral, or ready to explode on me and unleash his demon powers fueled by anger. I backed up as far as I could, Star pulling out her wand, arm shaking, as he leaned closer to me, like a predator ready to pounce on me.

But when I was pushed up against the wall, he took off his shades, his eyes… warm. "Sup, Marco."

"T…Tom."

"You ran off so fast with Star, I… didn't even get to say goodbye." He said with a voice just pricked with hurt.

"Well… I was nervous. I said –"

"You did that whole thing to protect Star, didn't you? Shoved her out of the way, then pretended to be some dancer who tripped or something?"

"Actually…! You made that suggestion, and I just kinda… went with it…"

He frowned. "So, you didn't like our little dance?"

"No!" I interjected. "No, no no! It was nice! I…" I rubbed my shoulder and looked down. "I really liked it… It was… so, so nice. I felt so… comfortable when you reassured me up there – I-I haven't been center-stage in… forever!" I indulged a little too much in the praising, admittedly.

"So… I helped you?" He sounded so proud asking that.

"Yeah…" I smiled a little, hand rubbing my arm. "You really did…"

He smiled and looked away. And even though he could clearly see Star and Fonz and Ferguson, he didn't pay them any heed. "So I was thinking, maybe…" He scratched the back of his head, blushing black across his cheeks and nose. He took a moment to open his mouth again. "Maybe you wanna… go on a date with me…?"

My heart jumped. My expression dropped, as did all of us. Alfonzo and Ferguson looked at this guy demon with eyes wide and mouths agape with surprise. Star had her mouth agape with shock, awe, and… suspicion.

"I…" I fumbled over my words. Star said he hadn't changed, but he looked so sincere and inviting. And in spite of all the stupid things I said about him, I didn't really know him myself. He's when you're talking to your friend about your day and they complain about this guy that nearly fender-bended them. Or he's that guy that your friend said took too long at the checkout. I heard about him, but I didn't know for sure.

But he was a demon. I could hardly care that he was a guy – but that he was apparently a jerk, and, y'know, a demon. His smile melted down to a concerned frown. "Was I too forward…?"

"No…!" I squeaked out, voice still caught in shock. "I…! I just need time to think…! That's all…"

"Oh…" He gave a sigh of relief, a prickled smile touching the edges of his cheeks. "Well… when you decide, Star knows where to call me. You can tell me then, okay? Even if it's a 'no', I promise I'll be cool with it, okay?" I nodded. He leaned in closer to me again. "It was nice seeing you again, Marco, and without your mask. Because…" He leaned in and kissed the mole on my cheek. "I really like that thing you got there."

He stepped back into his chariot and exited back to his dimension as my face went through fifty shades of red. I touched a hand to my burning cheek, traced over the mole.

"Bro…" Ferguson finally spoke back up. "I think that was being too forward."

He liked my mole… People always thought I was uglier with it… "So what are you gonna do now, Marco? What're you gonna do now? You gonna say yes? I mean, he kissed you, man!"

"Marco!" Star had finally calmed down from looking at him too long, and finally put down her guard. "What are you gonna do? Marco? …Marco?" She shook me, snapped me back to reality. "Marco… you okay?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah… And… I don't know what I'm gonna do, honestly. He's so nice… but… he's a demon. Like…! How's that even gonna work…?! How do I not know I won't blow up from the times he's kissed me already?!"

"Wait wait wait wait…" Alfonzo interjected, looking at Ferguson.

"Times? With an 's'?"

"Oh jeez…" I slapped my forehead. "Yeah, times. He… kissed me at the ball…"

"On your beauty mark?"

"No! On the lips…! On… yeah…"

"Bro!"

"No!" Alfonzo grabbed my shirt again. "Your first kiss was with that demon guy?!"

"Shut up, Fonz!" I pushed him off me, their excitement dizzying. "But yeah, it was… It was…" I looked over to Star. "You don't think I should date him?"

She had a hand on her hip, her wand to her chin. "I don't know… Marco, I don't think he'd try to hurt you outright. I don't think that's what he's really… shooting at. But… I am worried." She sat down by me, effectively shooing Alfonzo away. "I mean… even if we're both wrong and he turns out to have changed into a really nice person, someone could just throw a can at him while he's having dinner with you and he could snap. And, like I said, he doesn't have any sense of who he is or… who anyone is when he's angry. He could've dated you for a year and he could hurt you like a stranger. And hurt you badly! I don't want you getting hurt, Marco. Not over him." I sighed, held my shoulders, and slumped. "Just… do what you think is right. I mean, obviously I haven't said all the good things about him! Who knows! I could be wrong. What did he help you with yesterday?"

"He calmed me down from a potential anxiety attack."

"See! There you go!" Her smile faded quickly and she sighed. "I want you to be happy, Marco, but… just like how you worried about me at the Blood Moon Ball, I'll worry about you."

"Even if it's obnoxious and possibly-destructive?"

She grimaced, then nodded. "Yeah… maybe."

I sighed, then nodded. "I understand…" I gave myself a moment to think. "…Star."

"Yeah?"

"Bring Tom up on mirror phone."

I walked down the stairs with her, my best buds following close behind, as she used the interdimensional mirror to ring up Tom's dimension. He had his back to us, fixing his shirt.

"Tom…?" I chimed in gently.

He fumbled over his clothes and nearly fell over on something, but he turned around, looking flustered. "Marco! That was quick. Look, I don't want you to feel pressured, so if you're making a rush decision –"

I smiled. "Tom, it's okay. I made my mind up."

"You…" He seemed taken aback. "You did?"

"Yeah. How's… tomorrow at eight?"

He was flushed a deep black. "Tomorrow at eight? Y-Yeah… sounds great! I can do that. I can do eight… You… You want me to pick you up or…?" He pointed to Star.

I looked to her, then looked back. "No, you can pick me up. I'll be waiting outside the house, so your horse doesn't scuff up the floor."

"Oh! Sorry about that! Shoot… Sorry… I'll be there, I promise. I'll give you the time of your life, Marco."

I laughed a little. "We'll see."

"Yeah." He smiled. "Until then?"

"Till then." I couldn't ditch the stupid smile on my face, even after Star cut the transmission.

Ferguson and Alfonzo practically tackled me to the floor. "Bro! We have got to get you looking fresh for tomorrow!"