SVTFOE: As Long as I Want You Ch.24

Written by WriteFriend
Edited by an EditAnon

Star was not calming down. For a while it looked like she was about to have a total meltdown, but she managed to cool off at the last minute, barely. Marco's parents had her restrained in case she tried to go after Jackie; they know from Marco's stories of how vicious she can be when angry. Eventually, Marco just went up to her and pried the wand out of her hand, he tossed it to his father and hoped it would do the trick, and it did. Mr. Diaz held the wand in his hand like he was holding a hot potato...or a bomb either way he looked very uncomfortable holding it. Without the wand the fight in Star went away, she slid out of Mrs. Diaz bear hug as she let her body go limp.

"Star, what happened?" Marco asked kneeling next to her.

"I'll tell you what happened! While little miss sk8r gurl had her tongue down your throat, she gave Star a less than polite gesture!” Mrs. Diaz answered instead.

"‘Less than polite ges’...ohhh," Marco said finally getting it. Marco returned his attention to Star who was just lying on the ground looking at the ceiling.

"I'm not saying Jackie should have done that, but you weren't going to actually zap her with the wand, right?" Marco asked trying to sound relaxed.

"I think you know the answer to that," Star replied.

"I was standing right in front of her, you could have hit me too," Marco said, surprisingly offended.

"Yeah, I didn't really think it through. I just wanted to make her face melt off, nothing too serious. I could have healed you fast if you got caught in the crossfire," Star replied again, still quite calm.

"Star, we don't hurt people like that. I know you were mad, but you would have regretted it, you aren't that sort of person," Marco told her.

"Oh, sweet Marco, you'd be surprised of the things I'm willing to do to that skateboarding brat," Star said as she got up.

"I need to be alone for a few minutes, I promise I'm calm now. I've been insulted by worse people with better insults."

Star headed off to her room. Marco just looked at her as she walked away in a huff, he wasn't sure if he should follow her or let her be or what. He was mad that she would try to attack Jackie with magic and he was mad that Jackie pretty much used him to further antagonize Star. Marco's mother must have sensed her son's confusion and stood him up and gave him a hug.

"Don't worry about Star, I'll talk to her and make sure she's okay and understands that what she tried to do was not right," Marco's mother said reassuringly. "Even if that girl did totally deserve it," she mumbled under her breath.

"Uhm Marco, honey, anybody...please take this," Mr. Diaz said almost in a whimper, like a scared child. Marco looked and saw him juggling the wand between his hands; he was really scared now and sweating like crazy. Marco laughed and grabbed the wand in midair much to the relief of his father.

"Relax dad, it's not a live grenade...unless you drop it," Marco said chuckling.

"Not funny son, give that thing back to Star once she's calmed down."

"I'll do it. Once I finish the dishes I'll go up and check on Star, she probably needs a woman to talk to anyways," Mrs. Diaz chipped in. Marco handed her the wand, he had the day to himself, what with Jackie being with Janna and Star…being Star, he could use this time to think of some sort of plan to make them stop fighting each other. None of his attempts have worked in the past, but one of them just has too eventually. Jackie might even get mad for him interfering but she can't get that mad, he does it out of love.

"Marco, come help with that thing I asked, now that everyone's calmed down," Marco's father spoke.

"Oh right, the garage. Yeah, sure thing, dad! Uhm, I'll follow you," Marco replied and followed his father into the garage.

"Close the door, son," Marco did as he was told.

"If it's about the car leaving a trail of pixie dust everywhere it goes…I can explain."

"No Marco, not that I actually think that's kinda cool" Mr. Diaz sat on a stool by his workbench.

"It's about what's been going on lately, with you and the girls."

"Oh," was all Marco could say.

 "I wanted to talk with you about this for a while now, and privately just father to son...no man to man."

"Ok, uhm, yeah, what is it about? What's going on that bothers you?" Marco asked nervously.

"Everything Marco. Everything."

Marco was not expecting that answer, not expecting it at all.

"Why? I mean okay, sure, Star is jealous and Jackie has it out for her lately because of it, but it's not that bad compared to other problems I've had."

"Not that bad? Son, are you blind or in denial?"

"Whaaaa?" was all that Marco could get out.

"If you forgot, me and your mother had to stop Star from melting Jackie's face off not 15 minutes ago," Marco's father countered.

"Just a setback dad no big-"

"Marco, please," his dad said, with a sigh.

Marco's look of confidence quickly faded, replaced with a look of trepidation.

"Okay, okay, maybe thing's aren't exactly like how I thought they'd be by now, but soon, I can feel it. I just gotta keep at it, make Jackie see Star is not a threat and make Star feel included in my or, that is to say, me and Jackie's life. Now, since she can't leave..." Marco stopped what he was saying and tried to change the subject.

"Can't leave what Marco?" his father asked.

"Leave this chapter of her life unfinished?" Marco said laughing nervously.

"Don't lie to me son, I can see right through it," his father warned.

"Earth. I caught her trying to leave Earth this morning because she didn't want to see me with Jackie anymore. But I stopped her, there that is the truth, are you happy?" Marco actually let some tears flow as he said it.

"Oh, Marco! You did a terrible thing," his father replied, he looked sad seeing Marco break down.

"Thanks, dad I know you'd understa- WAIT WHAT?!" Marco shouted in surprise.

"If Star is not coping well with you choosing another girl over her, and if leaving Earth made her feel more at ease, then you should not have interfered."

"She's my best friend dad, I didn't want her to just leave like that because of this."

"You really love her, son?"

"Yes, I mean, no…not like how she may want, but still love her. And Jackie, she's my soulmate! She'll come around to me and Star being friends…eventually, I…I…I," Marco covered his face with his hands. He didn't want his dad seeing him cry anymore.

Marco's father went up to him and gave him a hug. "It's okay to be confused about these things. Doubt I would have handled having two girls in love with me at your age very well, either,"

"I'm not confused, dad, I know what I want!" Marco countered as he let go of his dad. He was partially telling the truth.

Marco's father kneeled down to be at eye-level with his son. "Okay, you aren't confused. But, mi hijo, you need to understand something. In this story, there are winners and there are losers. You can't make everyone happy, Marco, I'm sorry, but it's a fact of life," Marco's father said, trying to sound like a wise old wizard giving advice to the hero.

"No, you're wrong, dad! I can make everything be how it was before!" Marco replied although he didn't believe it entirely himself.

"Marco, its okay to be in denial about certain things. I just want you to accept that one of these girls is going to get their heart broken, and it will remain broken for a while. The faster you accept that you can't please everyone, the faster the healing process can begin,"

"But dad..." Marco said with a sob.

"No buts, Marco. You think you've been helping but, in fact, you now have these girls in ruthless deadlock. I'm sure Jackie is a great girl and you know Star is already, but when emotions run high like this, logic flies out the freaking window," Marco's father said as he patted his son's shoulder.

 Marco just stared at his shoe's and said nothing.

"You need to tell Star that you love Jackie and you need to be firm about it, no giving her false hope for a future together. I know that wasn't your intention, but I imagine that's what you've been doing. If she can't deal with it and leaving Earth is her one choice to be happy again, then you have to let her go for her own good,"

Marco said nothing again, just nodded.

"Or you need to tell Jackie that she has to get with the program about Star's role in your life. If she fights you on it, well maybe either one of you isn't ready to be in a relationship. As it means she lets her jealousy dictate her actions and you have some unresolved feelings for Star that you haven't come to terms with yet."

Marco once again nodded but actually spoke. "I can't dad..." Marco sounded broken as he spoke.

"Yes, you can Marco. You are a good kid and you don't want to hurt anyone, I know this. I just want you to understand that, so far, what's happening is not fair to either of them. If you don't act now, you are going to lose them both, mark my words son."

"Okay, dad, I get it," Marco said wiping away any tears still on his face with his sleeve. Marco's phone lit up in his pocket, he was getting a text message from Ferg, Marco decided to read it later.

"Trust me, Marco, everything will work itself out. This is just too much for you to handle as it is," Marco's father said as he opened the door to the garage.

Despite the talk, Marco still felt that his father was wrong. He could, in fact, still handle things without either girl being utterly heartbroken. He and his father returned to the living room to watch some Saturday morning cartoons, wasn't long before Marco's father complained cartoon's these days suck; and switched over to some DVD's of Jackie Chan Adventures. A short while later Marco's mother joined them, she had gone to check up on Star and return the wand.

"Is Star okay, mom?" Marco asked.

"Yeah she's fine, a little mopey and angry, but fine," Mrs. Diaz answered. She still felt guilty over this morning; it was all her fault, if only she could take it back.

"Rafael, did Marco help you with what you needed?” Marco's mom asked her husband.

"Huh? Oh, yeah totally. He's a great helper always knows what's best for whatever problem that may arise," He replied while rubbing Marco's head which in turn messed up his hair.

"Dad, c'mon stop," Marco said as he read Fergs text. Apparently Ferg's little sister's birthday was next week and he got permission to invite as many people from school as he wants, so he's not the only kid there over the age of 9. It's a costume party so if you wanted to come you had to dress up, the text said for him to bring Star and Jackie and anyone else he could think off. Marco quickly said yes and that he'd seen him there.

"Is Star ready to go get a new phone?" Mr. Diaz asked his wife.

"Oh yeah, she said she wanted to finish getting dressed or something," As she spoke, everyone could hear her coming down the stairs.

Star walked over to them, Mrs. Diaz was the first to notice her.

"Oh my," Mrs. Diaz  gasped.

"Well, this was inevitable, can't say I didn't warn Marco," Mr. Diaz mumbled to himself, he's surprised it didn't happen sooner.

Marco himself just looked at Star with his jaw on the floor. Star was dressed, almost exactly like Jackie, down to the baseball tee and very tight short short's, she had a blue streak in her hair as well. Somehow Marco even think's she made herself bustier, probably with the wand.

"Hey Marco, do you like my new look? Star asked with a blush. At least she was making eye contact with him again.

"I...uh...oh...oh no," was all Marco could say.



Marco was wrong, he can't handle any of this.