Rifts

Part 6~Exposition and Reconciliation

"Hey, Star, how are you doing?" Tom carefully stepped inside the room, spotting Star curled up in a ball next to Janna.

"How do you think I'm doing?! I've ruined everything! Now Marco will probably never talk to me again, and the others will all hate me, and I should go die in a hole somewhere." Star cried as she buried herself in her knees.

"Star. That's not true. Tonight... Tonight didn't go as planned, but that doesn't mean all is lost. Let Marco cool off, and we can track him down in the morning. Okay?" Tom gently sat beside Star as she nodded.

"You think he'll actually talk to me?"

"I know he will." Tom nudged Star's side. "You are his best friend."

"No, I'm not. According to him and everyone else, I ruined his life."

Tom hesitated as he sighed. "Do you want to know the event Marco is talking about?"

Star nodded, sitting up as Tom ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll tell you, but you did not learn this from me. He's talking about the day you left Earth. You told him you had a crush on him and ran off before he could respond. You disappeared, and Marco ended up in a war because he wanted to talk to you. When he finally got back to you, you didn't acknowledge any of it, so he didn't."

"That's the big event?" Star blinked, shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"Of course, you don't. You didn't see Marco. Because you were so busy repairing the kingdom and such, you never saw the calls he tried. You didn't see him distance himself from everyone and struggle to live on Earth. You didn't see how long it took him to get over you."

"Wait... get over me?" Star squeaked as she blushed. "But that means..."

"Yeah."

"Does he still...?"

"No. As I said, he moved on... Eventually."

"Oh stars, no wonder he was so awkward around me. I had no idea."

"You broke his heart, Star. Give it time to heal." Tom placed a hand on Star's shoulder as he chuckled. "And don't attack his closest friend. That would help too."

Chuckling, Star nodded. "I suppose it would." Star sighed, wiping her eyes. "Thanks, Tom. I needed to hear that."

Together, they sat awkwardly as Star grinned.

"So, if Marco got over me, does that mean there is someone else?"

Tom blinked, clearing his throat. "Well, we don't really talk about that."

"Come on. He must have said something." Star smirked as Tom jumped up.

"Nope! Nothing." He rushed away, ignoring Star's laughs.

She leaned back, resting against Janna, who glanced at her. "Now what?"

"We should let Marco cool off. Want to explore the underworld?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Standing up, Janna pulled Star to her feet as they walked around the skull-littered world.

~~~

Blinking, Solar groaned, his head screaming. He glanced around, spotting Marco asleep next to him and Moc sleeping by the door. Opening his mouth, Solar frowned. He tried again. Panic began to settle in as he shook Marco violently.

"What's happening?!" Snapping awake, Marco shot around in confusion, his eyes lighting up as he spotted Solar awake and moving. "Solar! Are you okay?!" Marco moved closer, sitting on Solar's bed as he brushed his fingers against Solar's cheek. "Solar?"