"Marco...do you trust me?" the blonde girl asked, her dress glittering under the light of the moon, her arm around his shoulders.
"Of course." her friend replied, astonished at such a ridiculous question. Of course he trusted her. How could he not? The pair had been best friends since they'd met at the beginning of their freshman year. Marco had been awkward and small, and now he towered over his best friend by four inches, his red belt in karate finally making his muscles visible.
Not to say Star hadn't grown either. She'd gotten maybe an inch in height, her figure filling out nicely, and her sophomore year she had begun wearing makeup, much to Marco's discontent. He believed she looked far more beautiful without it, although he would never say such a statement out loud.
At the end of junior year, Marco had finally given up on Jackie Lynn Thomas-and not only because of the crush she had on Justin and had told him she wouldn't be attending the dance. This had happened right before prom, where his best friend was waiting over to the side to comfort him.
That's when he'd gotten the crazy idea to ask Star to the prom. After all, it didn't have to be a date.
She consented without hesitation. Since the Blood Moon Ball several years before she'd known Marco was an amazing dancer (he claimed it was a Diaz family trait) and had been trying to persuade him to dance with her without being awkward ever since. This was a perfect excuse.
Both were surprised after exiting their respective rooms the night of the prom that the other had gone all out. Each was left breathless at the other's attire, Star's blue dress glittering in the dim light of the hallway and Marco's tie the exact shade of her dress, something they hadn't planned.
"You look...amazing." They'd said in unison.
Although of course this was only the beginning of the night.
Marco's parents had insisted on taking pictures - many hundreds of pictures, embarrassing both teens especially when Marco's mother asked him to kiss Star's cheek. They'd looked at each other, mentally debating whether such a thing would be awkward, and Marco had surprised not only Star but himself by following through.
After declaring it the most awkward moment of the night, they'd climbed into Marco's parents minivan, which Marco insisted on driving to avoid embarrassment from his parents and mainly to not let Star drive.
They'd arrived a few minutes after it started, Marco proudly presenting the tickets and Star wondering when it suddenly got hot in the room. She dismissed it as an air conditioning problem.
Star had forced Marco to dance, although he insisted on tasting all of the food, which never actually happened. She'd made him dance for about an hour using her persuasive pouting face, and then Jackie arrived arm-in-arm with Justin. Star tried to keep Marco from seeing her but to no avail. He'd insisted on being alone and went outside to sit on the bleachers at the football field.
Star knew the feeling. Oskar had told her sophomore year that he wouldn't go to homecoming and she's seen him there with a girl she recognized from her home room. Her heart had felt like it was split in half, and Marco had spent the entire night trying to cheer her up with hugs, nachos and ridiculous children's movies. (which Star later found out he loved despite how stupid he claimed they were)
Now it was her turn to return the favor.
She walked outside, sitting down next to him.
"She lied to me." he said, and despite his efforts not to cry Star saw a small tear fall on the bleacher. She scooted in closer. "She's really dumb, you know." she said, putting her hand on top of his.
"In what way?" Marco asked, getting slightly defensive.
"Because she doesn't realize what she's missing out on." Star said. "You're awesome, Marco. If she doesn't understand that then you really shouldn't care so much about her."
Marco's head fell down onto Star's shoulder, and her arm moved up onto his shoulders. The waterfall of tears began shortly after.
"I...just don't understand." he said, and Star moved her hand up through his hair.
"I know." she said. "I know it hurts now but trust me, there's a quick and easy way to get over it."
Marco lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "What's that?" he said, sniffling.
Star reached out and brushed a tear off of his cheek. "Marco, do you trust me?" she asked.
"Of course." he said. "Star, I...love you."
"Then please don't hate me after this." she said, grabbing his shirt collar and pushing her lips against his.
Marco had no words to describe such a feeling. It felt like the universe was disappearing in front of him, that it was transforming into the shape of his best friend and her pineapple flavored lip gloss. He now understood why heroes in stories would battle atrocities just for a princess's kiss. He finally closed his eyes, knowing such a moment was special. Not just because she was a princess, but because she was his best friend, his first kiss.
Star felt her hearts begin to heat up, and she knew they were going to change color. How embarrassing. She let go after about two seconds, brushing a piece of hair out of her face, and she sat back and met his chocolate eyes.
"A...are you feeling any better?" she stuttered. Marco thought the stutter was adorable.
"I'm not sure I'm totally over Jackie yet. Maybe you should try again." he said, poking her nose.
"You know something?" she asked, and didn't give him time to respond before leaning her forehead up against his. "You're such a dork."
He sealed the space between their lips once again, the magic beginning again.
Not the magic of kissing a magical princess, though.
The magic of being able to share such a special moment with someone each loved so much.
