After Starco

Day 2

|Edited: 04/13/17|

Marco finally decided to head back to school. Waving his parents goodbye, he made his way. The journey was quiet, Marco's thoughts always drifting back to Star. No matter how hard he tried. Staring at the ground as he dragged his feet along the sidewalk, he bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry--Jackie?" Marco asked, dumbfounded. He bumped into his girlfriend, and he was the Safe Kid! Jackie didn't seemed to mind. She smiled and held out her hand towards Marco. He reluctantly took her hand as she helped him up.

"So, are you okay?" Jackie asked as they decided to walk to school together. "Well, I didn't fall too hard. It could have been worse, walking into a manhole, into a wall--" Marco stopped mid-sentence and saw Jackie giving him a dirty look. He gulped. "You aren't asking me if I'm okay from the fall, are you?" Marco asked. Jackie nodded, "Star left for Mewni, and left saying that she has a crush on you. How do you feel about that?" Marco didn't know what to feel about that, and before they knew it, they were at school. The bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Marco walked to his seat and sat down. A bunch of his classmates were whispering when Ms. Skullnick arrived.

"Quiet down!" She shouted. Her voice attracted everyone in class, making the whispers turn quiet. "Hey Marco," Ms. Skullnick started, "where's your little friend of yours? Star?" His stomach dropped at the sound of her name. He had forgotten that the teachers didn't know that Star left for Mewni. "She's sick and decided to stay home for the day," he lied. She grunted before turning to her lesson.
The entire day, Marco avoided everyone, Alfonso, Ferguson and Jackie. The day ended quickly, as he sped walked to his home. He was walking home when he saw two kids, a blonde girl and a brown haired boy. Both of them playing on the swings, the boy pushing the girl even higher. Marco smiled as he sat down on one of the swings, swinging slightly as Marco looked at the ground. He missed Star. He realized that he stayed there longer than he expected, since it grew dark so he decided to walk home.

As soon as he entered his room, he was greeted by the same familiar darkness that surrounded him. He placed his bag on the floor as he lied down on the bed, groaning. He looked beside him and saw a picture of him and Star. They looked so happy.
And before he could even blink, he was greeted with sleep.

(DREAM)

Marco was falling. Again. His screams were distorted again, as he reached the ground. He groaned and saw another portal, this time yellow gold with black streams of light spiraling towards the middle. He jumped in and saw himself on Star's balcony. The same balcony of the other night. It was night, the moon shone brightly and a few lights were lit.

He heard laughter on the other side of the door. He turned to look at the slightly opened door that allowed him to see the inside. Star was laughing along with some friends he never saw before. He watched as she smiled brightly at them. How he missed her smile. It has only been two days, but he felt like he hasn't seen that smile in years.

Star closed the door behind her and sighed. She walked towards her bed and fell onto it, her facing hitting the pillow. He watched as Star sniffled and broke into sobs.

Moon walked beside him, watching Star cry into her pillow. "She was so happy for me when Jackie became my girlfriend. But I didn't know that she'd feel so bad for not being with me." Marco's distorted voice echoed around him, as if he were stuck in a room that felt small.

Moon sighed before replying, "Well, yes. She's smiling. But don't let that fool you. Look into her eyes. She's breaking on the inside," she turned to face Star who continued to wet the pillow. "And she will fool everyone with her fake smile and pretend laugh," she finished. Moon turned to face Marco and looked at him in the eye before saying, "Just because her eyes don't tear, doesn't mean her heart doesn't cry."

Marco first thought of her confession. The seven words that hit him hard, no matter how many times he replayed the scene: I do have a crush on you.

Star managed to confess the secret that kept breaking her heart all over again. How she had the courage to say the words. But even more courage to tell it to Jackie, although not directly. She managed to tell him that she kept on dying on the inside, faking her smile, her laugh, that he didn't see her broken.

Marco shook his head. "I hate getting flashbacks of things I don't want to remember," he whispered. "She made me believe in an illusion that she was fine," he said. Moon turned to face Star. "Do you know that one moment, Marco Diaz?" The way she spoke his name made him turn to face her. "That moment when you burst out crying alone in your room. And you realize that no one truly knows how unhappy you are because you don't want anyone to know. Well, she has her moments," Moon said. Moon walked towards her daughter, gently brushing Star's golden yellow locks.

"Every night is the same," Star started. "Feeling the same emotions that I want to forget," Star whispered dryly. "Here comes the feelings you thought you've forgotten. Here comes the pain that once left your heart broken," Moon said as she kissed Star's forehead. "Why do I still feel sad?" Star asked, turning to face the queen. Moon's eyes held some sort of sadness in them, before answering, "Sometimes, you can't let go of what's making you sad, because it was the only thing that made you happy,"

So dark, so deep, the secrets you keep, thought Marco.

Moon held Star in her arms, sharing sadness and tears as Star cried. Marco decided to leave the balcony and take a walk to clear his thoughts. And for a split second, he could've sworn that Star looked at him.

Marco walked upon the garden of Mewni, taking in the sights of the castle and all its beauty. He walked across a small bridge that covered a part of the pond. He stayed in the middle, looking down on the water. He saw his reflection on the bridge. And that moment with Star, after the ball, as a reflection on the water. He caught a reflection of the moon, but half of it was covered red.

And suddenly, he felt like he was falling.

(DREAM ENDS)

Marco bolted up from his sleep with wide eyes. His breathing was ragged and beads of sweat trailed his forehead. When his breathing finally calmed down, he finally realized that he was not alone. Across the room, stood an all-too-familiar face; one that he least expected.

"T-Tom?" Marco couldn't believe his eyes. Tom usually gave off this dark vibe, but Marco could feel like he was scared and that he came as soon as he went to sleep. His clothes looked a bit wet with sweat to match his breathing.

Tom wasted no time in grabbing Marco by the shoulders, making him look at Tom in the eye before saying, "You don't have enough time, I can stall it from spreading. Find a way to reach Star." Tom started to leave before Marco called out to him, "Tom! What do you mean 'I don't have enough time'?" But Tom already left, leaving Marco confused. But one thing he knows,

Marco has to get to Star.