Blood Moon Ball

KNOCK

Soft beams of sunlight filtered through the window, bright and warm. Marco pried his eyes open, and tried to blink away the sleepiness. He was still tired from staying up late with Star, watching movies together, eating nachos together. Marco thought back to last night.

Star was asleep by the time the movie was over, leaving Marco to pick her up and carefully place her onto her bed to rest. As he laid her down, he noticed the way she breathed, raising her chest up and down, her eyes gently closed, the quiet sounds she made. Star just looked so.... Peaceful. Marco enjoyed her in the daytime when she was extremely bubbly and full of energy, but now, the world, just like Star, seemed to slow down as she laid there, resting so perfect.

Quickly he dismissed the flashback.

"No, Marco, it's Jackie you like! Jackie's the one you've always liked. Star's your best friend, and it should stay that way. Oh, hey, speaking of Jackie, look who texted you!"

Marco reached over to grab his phone off the desk, unlocking it and checking the messages, and sure enough, Jackie had texted him.

Hey, Safe Kid. You free for tonight? I was thinking we could hang out.

Oh gosh, was she asking him out? Having no idea what to do, Marco rushed over to Star's bedroom, knocking first of course, then seeing if she could help him respond.

"S-Star? S-so I got a message from Jackie, and I need help-"

"You got a message from JACKIE? Hand me the phone!" Star eagerly took the phone from Marco.

Star's eyes darted across the screen, but although her eyes lit up with excitement for him, there was a faint hint of sadness she expressed, though she quickly tried to hide it.

Star turned to Marco, confused.

"So, what exactly do you need help with? You either answer 'yes' or you answer 'no'."

He chuckled. "That's not the problem. I just, I need to know if it's okay with you that I'll be gone for tonight."

"Of course I'll be fine, don't worry! I'll just... oh! I can play fetch with the laser puppies, or... Fight with some monsters, or... Make some nachos for when you come back! Or-"

Marco put his hands on Star's shoulders, looking at her with his chocolate brown eyes, concerned.

"Star, are you sure you're okay with this? You seem a little... Off. I want to make sure you're happy, that's my job. If you want, I can stay here, and we can hang out like we did last night. In fact, we can even have a tickle fight if you want!"

Marco started tickling Star, and she squirmed and giggled beneath his arms, her eyes playful and happy. He stopped tickling her, and she stopped moving. They both stared at each other, gazing into each other's eyes. Marco had his arms around Star, and Star, feeling the warmth and comfort of Marco's arms around her, proceeded to move closer to him. They held each other's gazes, and soon their noses were touching, their lips almost connecting...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The loud knocking surprised them, and they, both blushing furiously, looked towards the bedroom door, expecting to see Mr. and Mrs. Diaz waiting, watching them. However, there was no one there at the door.

".....I-I think t-the knock c-came from the front d-door." Marco stuttered, still dazed from the moment.

Star looked at Marco, dazed as well, and slowly made her way down the stairs to the front. She unlocked the door, and, a bit hesitantly, opened it. She peered out, the morning sun blinding her, and looked around. Nothing, absolute nothing. That is, until she looked down. Frazzled, Star bent down to pick it up. There were so many possibilities as to why someone would deliver her a-