Chapter 4: Preparations

I was shaking. Today melted into tomorrow, come and gone; I hardly got any sleep. Star's words had been echoing through my head. His anger, his attitude… I was worried.

I woke up with dark circles under my eyes, and panicked in the mirror because of how horrible I'd looked. The morning went by with bouts of anxiety riddling through me – how everything could go wrong, how terrible I could look, how I could die from the food – not even because it's Hell food, but I could choke on my own saliva when I'm nervous, so food could easily do worse. But I had finally been asked on a date. Me. A date. I could easily mess it up, knowing how bad I was all-around with romance.

The day passed with me walking in circles or laying in bed, trying to fathom what Alfonzo and Ferguson would bring to the table when they'd help to… 'dress me up' before the date. It was mostly uneventful. I ate a lot of pita chips.

I was in my own thought throughout the day, so much that Dad worried about me. The day was beginning to dim when he'd noticed me so quiet, not even lazing the day away with TV. Just me, but… without the pita chips. I had too many pita chips.

He sat down by me and gave my shoulder a gentle shake. "Marco, mijo… are you okay? You there?"

"Huh?" I looked up at him. Without anything to eat, my silent self in my quiet thought seemed almost zombie-like. That was only like me after an attack, so of course he'd worry. I gave him a reassuring smile and a nod. "I'm okay, Dad. Sorry I scared you."

He gave me a small smile and pat my back. I curled up closer to him as he put an arm around my shoulder. "What's on your mind, mijo? You haven't been speaking much today."

"I, um…" I giggled, reflecting on exactly what went down last night. "Dad… I… yeesh…" I put my head in my hands. "I… I have a date tonight…" I murmured, voice muffled.

"Really! Oh that's wonderful!" He shook my shoulder. "Is it with that Jackie girl? Oh I knew you were going for her! Finally got that bullfighter courage to ask her out, eh? I'm so proud of you, son!"

I groaned, looking at him with a face full of disappointment. "No, Dad… it wasn't with Jackie…" I muttered. "It's… with a boy." I was ashamed to say it. Scared, really, to say it. Since I was little, I've always had an in-and-out interest in boys, but… I never brought it up with my parents. I figured they'd be fine with it, but that paranoia that they could hate me for it… it drove me away from ever saying. I've heard of boys and girls being told they weren't their own parents' son or daughter anymore just because of who they love… I couldn't bear to live with my parents feeling that way about me. What if he hated me? What if mom hated me? Said I wasn't her son anymore? Left me out on the street to die… I mean… Ferguson and Alfonzo eventually found out about me, but they never did anything about it. They never interrogated me, or teased me, or made me feel uncomfortable. It was a huge relief when the most they did was something like 'Hey, what about that guy there? He seems pretty cute, right? What do you think?' But my dad, my mom… they're from a different time when things like that… they weren't normal. Where having a kid like me meant that kid was wrong.

"A boy, eh?" He said in a quiet tone. My heart pounded, watching him think. What was he thinking? Was he angry…? Then he slapped me on the back and let out a hearty laugh, making me yelp from the sting. "Oh mijo, don't give me that look!" He threw his arms around me and rocked me roughly. "What's his name, huh?"

"His… His name? It's Tom…" I answered in a chopped-up voice, trying to process his reaction.

"Tom? That's a good name. But you never mentioned a Tom before."

"He's… not from school, Dad. I met him on one of my… excursions, I guess, with Star."

He nodded, rubbing my back where he'd slapped it. "Ah… I see. So… how is he like?"

I rubbed my arm and looked down. "I don't know much about him, really… Star went to a ball last night, and I went with her. But y'know how the music changes and then people exchange each-other in the song? It was kinda like that… and then I danced with him. So… after then song ended, he asked me out on a date." Well of course I lied; what was I supposed to say? That I crashed the party without permission and basically ruined the whole thing? "He's gonna take me to his dimension at eight, and… maybe I'll get to try demon food?"

"He's a demon?" Dad asked in a neutral tone.

"Ah… yeah…"

"Well, let's hope your food doesn't get burnt!" He jabbed me with his elbow. "Get it? Because Hell is fiery! Let's hope –"

"I get it, Dad… yeah… I get it… Well, Ferguson and Alfonzo should be here any minute now dress me up all fancy, I guess." I laughed a little nervously. They were gonna bring me a chicken suit; I could feel it in my bones.

He patted my back roughly again. "Well, don't look like you're three miles away, okay? Eight o'clock will come soon enough."

I nodded and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, Dad." And with a last rub of my shoulder, he got up as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." I got up and went over to the door briskly. Without even looking, I knew it was my friends from their stupid giggles and the subsequent loud shushing.

As I opened the door, before I even greeted them, they each grabbed one of my arms and hauled me upstairs. I screamed for them to stop, especially with their dumb giggling like they're so good at catching me off-guard. They held me up a good few inches in the air after dragging me to my room, so my feet couldn't touch the floor while I kicked around.

"Marco, you gotta calm down! Relax bro!"

"I'll relax when you put me down!" I grunted, trying to see if I could bite one of them or kick them. They finally plopped me on my bed and Alfonzo went to shut the door.

But before he could, a bright shoe blocked the way. From it emerged Star, a sly smile on her face. "You ready for the big moment, Marco?"

"Yeah… now that these dorks finally stopped chaffing my arms." I took off my hoodie to give my arms some relief.

"But no dude, seriously. I got some sweet digs for your suit." Ferguson grinned. "You got a suit, right?"

"Yeah, I have a suit. It might still be a little big on me, though. I went to a wedding last year for one of my cousins, but it was really big then." I went over to my closet and shuffled through my clothes. Star took the time to throw my hoodie over to the side to make room for her on the bed. I pulled out the old suit, looking nice and fresh, undressed, and tried it on. The sleeves were a tad too big, but other than that, it fit snugly.

"Guess what I got~" Ferguson pulled a small box out from his pants pocket and opened it up. "Skull cufflinks, bro! I figured it'd add to the charm since you're gonna go to the Underworld and all for a date with a demon guy, y'know?"

"Oh, Ferguson…" I replied flatly, with a twinge of surprise at the end. "You shouldn't have…" The cufflinks, no doubt, looked very nice. But I couldn't help but feel they were a little… too much? "Heck, I'll take them. Lemme see." I handled the links in my hands a little, content with them.

Star hovered over my hands, inspecting them with wonder in her eyes and an "Ooooooo~!"

"What'd you contribute, Fonz?"

"I got you a red dress shirt and matching handkerchief."

"Oh… crap." I was taken aback. "How much did that cost you?! Ferg, how much did this cost you…?!"

Ferguson laughed. "Don't worry; those are my dad's, so they didn't cost me a penny as long as you return them. Oh! I also got you a little skull pin too, for your lapel." He handed it to me.

"Don't worry about how much it cost me, man, when the kerchief has a little devil design on it."

"Thanks guys… I…" I smiled. "Really appreciate it."

"You ready, Marco? For the big night?" Star brushed up against my shoulder and rocked back and forth like she does when she's excited.

"I…" I gulped as I put on the accessories and looked at myself in the mirror. "I hope so." I combed up my hair to look nice, and put on a spritz cologne. Then another spritz. I may have overdone it with the spritzing, and I ended up in a coughing fit with a cloud of cologne hanging over me like death. After dispersing the deadly perfume, I straightened out my clothes and looked up at them with a wheeze. "How do I look…?"

Star came up to me with a sigh and a smile, straightened out my suit and draped a tie over my face. "Just add this and you'll pull the whole look off."

I nodded, flustered, fumbling the tie on. I ended up having to look through, like, six different Google images to see how to do it right. "Now?"

"Better. Come on now, Marco! Chop-chop! It's almost eight o'clock!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me downstairs and out the door.

She continued straightening out my outfit for another two minutes to get it just right, then finally smiled and settled down on a rock, content. I looked back and saw my two dork friends giving me thumbs-up from my bedroom window.

A few minutes later, a portal opened in front of my house, and that same coach trotted out into the driveway. Tom stepped out in a red-and-black suit, nearly inverted of mine, still with his usual shades on his eyes. He took a quick look-over at my outfit, then at his. A black blush came over him in silence, before he burst out into laughter. I laughed with him, but definitely not as hard. He had to take off his shades to wipe a tear from his eye.

After he settled back down, he smiled wide at me. "You look…" He stifled another giggle. "You look great… I just didn't… expect you to look the exact opposite of me!"

"Do you want me to change…?"

"No no! You look beautiful. Look great… Lovely…" I smiled and looked away, flattered. "Anyway…" He extended his hand to me. When I took it, he knelt down again and kissed it. "Shall we, then?"

I nodded as he got up, and allowed him to take me into his coach. "Bye, Star." I looked up to Ferguson and Alfonzo and waved bye to them, saw my dad and mom in the living room window and waved by to them too. I had hoped Dad told her about where I was going… Guess I had to bank on it. "I'll be back later tonight, okay?"

"Oh no you have fun! Stay out till 3 AM if you have to!"

"I hope Ludo doesn't try and funny business while I'm gone…"

"Oh pee-shaw, Marco! I can handle Ludo all. By. My. Self!" She put her hands on her hips and grinned. "You just have fun on your date, okay? Promise?"

"I promise, Star."

Tom nodded at her and stepped into the coach to close it. He smiled over at me. "One way ticket to Hell it is, then."