"You have to tell him, Star. You have to tell him about us," Tom stated.

"What are you talking about?! That's a crazy idea," Star said with a nervous laugh as she paced back and forth in her room.

The girl had invited her demon friend over on a whim, in order to discuss what had happened a few days prior. Her feelings were growing stronger, and becoming harder to deal with as she grew closer to her best friend and squire, Marco Diaz. She knew that she couldn't continue to lie to him, and she didn't want to. She used it as a defense mechanism to prevent herself from being hurt. She was afraid of rejection, and she knew that if he did reject her, their relationship would never be the same.

"Well, you haven't got many options left," Tom explained, leaning against the door of Star's room with his arms crossed. "You're the one who put yourself into this situation. Marco is my bro, and I can't keep lying to him. It isn't the right thing to do."

"Put myself in this situation?!" Star scoffed, flabbergasted at the demon's outburst. "Tom, how could you... how could you just say that?! This situation is much more complicated than you think it is! I can't just walk up to Marco and be like 'oh dude I broke up with Tom and I'm single now so do you have feelings for me!'" the princess gestured with her hands, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

"Actually, it is that easy," the demon said as his eyes followed Star's pacing, "Just catch him when he's alone and come clean. He's your best friend, isn't he? Or at least, I thought he was."

A chill went down Tom's spine as he clenched his teeth. The blonde gave him a stone-cold stare. He gulped, wishing he could take back his comment.

"... What did you just say?"

"Well, if he was truly your best friend, you wouldn't be lying to him for this long, right?" Tom said again, looking over at the wall with a nervous smile. He mentally slapped himself for speaking his mind.

The demon's eyes widened as the princess stormed over to him and looked him directly in the eyes. "Marco is my very best friend, and we have been through so much together! So, don't you ever presume that we aren't best friends, Tom!" She huffed, turning up her nose as she crossed her arms.

"...Jeez, you really do have it crazy for Diaz, don't you?"

"I... don't know what you're talking about?" Star said with a chuckle as her cheeks turned crimson. "Besides, I was having a good day until you appeared and totally ruined it."

"Um... Star, you told me to come over. You really believe changing the subject will make me drop the topic? I know you have feelings for Marco, and I know it's eating you up inside," Tom said as he walked over, stopping the princess in her tracks. She refused to look him in the eye, but she looked down at her crossed arms as she thought about his words. "You can't keep running away. You're only hurting him by doing that."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Star whimpered with a sniffle as a tear rolled down her cheek. She thought back to the time Marco had spent in Hekapoo's dimension, but she believed they'd worked everything out since then. "Marco and I are fine, and I would never do anything to hurt him. We're best friends..."

"You already have," Tom said firmly.

Star spun around and wiped her eyes, hiding her face from Tom. She didn't want him to see that his words were really getting to her. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything to him?" Star asked with a sniffle.

"You have a crush on Marco, and you're denying it from everyone, including yourself."

"...So?"

"So you've been acting different and treating Marco differently. I've noticed it ever since you returned to Mewni. He's been around you less or seemed to act differently around you."

The princess just stood there silently, standing up straight to face the demon as he spoke.

"Marco is a good dude. He puts others before himself, especially you. However, he keeps his feelings and opinions to himself. That can only go so far, though, and when you lose someone like that, it can be hard to ever get them back."

Star still stood there silently as she stared off into space, taking Tom's words into account. Maybe what she was doing was harmful, and maybe she would lose Marco forever. She tried to block those thoughts out, but they were getting harder to avoid. She looked down at the floor and sighed, shutting her eyes for a moment.

"I'm gonna do you both a favor and fix this," Tom stated as he reached for the door handle.

"What are you doing?" Star suddenly blurted out as a look of fear struck her face.

"I'm going to tell Marco the truth for everyone's sake," responded the demon as he opened the door and stepped out into the castle halls.

"No Tom! Please don't!" Star yelled as she chased after him, "Stop it!"

~•~

"And then... I wrestled the beast down using only two pieces of wood and a long vine," River bellowed as he walked down the hallway, a large backpack slung over his shoulder. He was getting ready to go on an expedition into the Mewman wilderness, and Marco was helping him prepare.

"Wow River, that's quite a story," Marco said with a forced smile as the supplies he was carrying hindered his line of sight.

"I just wanna thank you for helping me, Marco my boy," exclaimed the king as he patted the boy firmly on the back, nearly sending all of the supplies tumbling onto the ground. "It's felt a bit stuffy here in the castle recently with all this drama, and it feels like a great time for a camping trip into the wilderness."

"Yeah, it has been pretty crazy," Marco said in agreement as he thought back to Star and everything that she'd gone through recently.

"Well, why don't you join me my boy? It would be good to get you some fresh Mewni air, and to show you what our kingdom truly has to offer. You'll enjoy what it's like to camp out in the middle of nowhere with all the vicious beasts that inhabit the woods."

"Oh uh... I don't know about that," responded the boy nervously. "I'd much prefer to stay here in the castle, where it's... you know... safe."

"Don't be so daft, Marco boy, the woods are completely safe to camp, especially when you have an excellent guide like me!" the king proudly proclaimed as he wrapped his arm around the boy. "Why, last time I went camping, I only got stung fifteen times and didn't die."

"Oh, joy..." groaned Marco, rolling his eyes as they continued walking down the hall.

"In fact, why don't you bring a friend? It'll be a blast," stated the king with a big smile on his face.

However, before Marco could even answer, Tom burst through a nearby door and stopped right in front of him like a deer in the headlights. It looked as if the demon was about to say something, but before any words could leave his lips, Star appeared behind him and tackled Tom to the ground.

"Star?!" Marco blurted out as he dropped the camping supplies and ran over to help them both up.

"Star it is!" River announced as he chuckled and walked over.

"What about me Dad?" asked the princess as Marco helped her and Tom up.

"Oh dear, Marco and I are going on a little camping trip, and he wanted to bring someone special with us. So he picked you!" the king replied, beaming.

"He did?" Star said with surprise as she dusted dirt off her dress.

"I did?" Marco asked, almost in unison with Star.

"Of course you did, my boy," answered River. "I told you, you could bring someone special on our camping trip and, you chose my daughter. Don't think I won't keep an eye on you two," River added as his expression suddenly turned to one of anger and he pointed at the boy.

"But... but... but...!" stammered Marco as he tried to think of a way to make things less awkward around Star and Tom. Yes she was a special person in his life, but she was in a relationship with Tom and he didn't want her to know how he felt. He'd never say it out loud, but Star's happiness meant more to him than his own.

"Aww. Well, that's very sweet of you," Star interjected, but was unable to hide the cuteness in her tone as she thought about Marco calling her a special person in his life. "However, I've got so much to do, and a princess can't really just take a break from her important duties. I have to work on fixing this kingdom after all that has happened."

"You take breaks all the time sweetie," River stated.

"Not now, Dad!" Star groaned as she let out a large sigh, slapping her forehead.

"Star would be happy go on the camping trip!" Tom suddenly interjected.

"It's settled then," River announced as he clapped his hands together. "I know you two kids are going to have a blast together out there in the woods," added the king as he started to walk away, to finish preparing for the trip.

"Thanks for saying I'd go..." Star muttered as she elbowed Tom hard in the stomach while nobody was watching. The demon let out a loud gasp of air as he stammered backwards.

"Ow!"

"I guess it's going to be just the two of us and your Dad," Marco whispered to Star, apprehensive about the whole setup.

"Hehe, yeah..." Star nervously responded as she worried about being stuck in the middle of nowhere with Marco.

"You remember when I showed you how to camp on Earth and then your dad surprised us? Man, that was a crazy day," Marco said with a laugh as he reminisced about their adventure together. "Back when things weren't so awkward and weird and we just had fun adventures together."

"Yeah, that was an amazing day," Star softly answered as she stared at the ground and swayed her arms back and forth.

She had enjoyed camping on Earth with Marco, and he had shown her an amazing geyser just because she'd shown him cool stuff. However, Star also remembered how out of control her Dad could get and how many times he called Marco her boyfriend the last time they camped. The last thing Star wanted right now was to be stuck alone with Marco with nowhere to run and to have to worry about the possibility of feelings being brought up. All of a sudden, an idea suddenly burst into the princess's head that caused a big grin to form on her face.

"Ya know, Marco, Tom and I already had plans..."

"We already had plans?" Tom begun to ask before Star stomped on his foot, causing him to stop talking and yell in pain. Marco just looked at the two of them, raising an eyebrow.

"As I was saying, Tom and I already had plans, but we'd both be happy to join you and my Dad on the camping trip," stated the princess with a smug look.

"I--" Tom tried to interject before Star stomped on his foot again, even harder than the first time.

"OUCH!"

"We'd both be happy to join you," the blonde added.

"Well the more the merrier I guess," Marco responded with a shrug as he went to go pick up the camping supplies he'd dropped on the floor.

They may have been a couple, but Star and Tom were still acting weird even for them. Marco had been nervous about being out in the woods with Star, but he didn't feel any better knowing that Tom was coming too. It didn't make sense to the Latino though, because Tom was one of Marco's best friends after Star. Marco pushed his worries out of his mind as he picked up the supplies off the castle floor. Everything was going to be fine, the boy told himself. They were just going camping, what was the worst that could happen?

~•~

"This should do," River announced as he placed his camping supplies down on the ground. The three teens groaned as they hauled their stuff through the brush and dropped it onto the ground in relief.

"Woohoo we made it," Star said hastily as she threw her arms into the air. "Now, we can go to sleep and then go back to the castle where we're not all stuck together." The man and the two boys looked at Star with confused looks.

"Uh, I'm not sure that's how camping works," Marco replied, shrugging. "Or at least... that's not how it works on Earth, anyways."

"Of course that's not how it works," exclaimed the king. "My family has proudly camped these woods for generations. I know them like the back of my own hand. Oh wait, is that a mosquito?" River suddenly asked as he curiously looked at the back of his hand. "Blasted--"

"Um, Mr. Butterfly, you were saying," Tom interjected, raising his hand.

"What was I talking about?" asked the king as he stared with a blank look on his face.

"You were talking about camping in these woods, which honestly don't seem too safe," Marco answered as a nearby rustle and growl sent chills up his spine.

"Ah yes, camping," River proudly proclaimed as he hopped onto a nearby stump.

"The Johansens have proudly camped these woods for generations! I could camp out here with my eyes blindfolded! Now, Marco and Star, you two will gather firewood while Tom gets us water! Star, you and Marco will go that way as Tom goes the other way," River ordered as he pointed in different directions. "...Or was it the other way around?" he asked himself.

"You mean sticking our canteens in the stream and waiting for them to fill up?" Marco groaned with an unimpressed look on his face.

"Exactly!" responded the princess with a grin. "Ya see, you're just the man for the job," added the girl as she nervously made a finger gun gesture with both of her hands in an attempt to act normal.

"I think Marco should go with you so he can keep you safe while you gather wood. He is your squire after all," Tom cooed, shooting Star a smug look.

"What?!" Star yelled out as she stormed over to Tom.

"I'm just saying. He is your best friend, and as your squire, it's kinda his job to protect you," responded the demon innocently.

"He does have a point there," Marco quietly said as he nervously tapped his fingers together, his eyes darting back and forth between the girl and the demon.

"Marco, you stay out this!" Star shouted at the boy as she came face-to-face with Tom. "Now listen up, Tom, this my dad's camping trip, which means I'm in charge and I say that Marco gets water."

"And Marco's your best friend and your squire so I say he's going with you," replied the demon as he started to grow more agitated.

"No, Marco's going to get water," Star said in frustration, unwilling to let herself be alone with Marco.

"I refuse to go with you Star, so you're going to have to take Marco."

Star froze as she heard those words. Being alone and the possibility of feelings emerging again? She loved Marco, but she was too terrified to say anything to him yet. "You don't order me around!" Star snapped as she stood up on her tiptoes. "I give the orders around here and I say that Marco goes and gets water!"

"And I say he goes with you!" Tom shouted back, as flames began to ignite around his feet and his eyes started to glow red.

"Stop it!" Marco shouted suddenly. "Look, why don't I just go with Tom to gather firewood and Star can get water. Jeez, I didn't know it was such a big deal about who I spent time with. Almost wish I didn't come on this camping trip..." He muttered as he started towards where River had said the water was, expecting the old man to have gotten the directions backwards.

"Alright Marco, I'm coming," Tom called out as he started to follow his best friend. "You know, you can't avoid him forever," he said sternly as he looked back at Star. "The longer you wait, the more you hurt not only yourself, but Marco as well."

Star thought to herself as she stood there for a moment. She had won the argument and not been stuck alone with Marco, but his words and the look he gave her cut deep. She was just trying to avoid making things uncomfortable, and yet she was hurting her best friend in the process.

~•~

Marco and Tom stood there in complete silence as they each started to gather firewood. Neither spoke a word at first, and Marco seemed to go out of his way to avoid being near Tom. Finally the demon couldn't take it any longer and tried to break the ice.

"So Marco, what do you think of this Mewni weather?" Tom asked with some uneasiness in his voice. Small talk was definitely not one of the prince's strengths. "I'm sure it's a lot different than the weather on Earth." There was no response from Marco, not even a glance from the boy. "I'm sure you've gotten tired of all the corn. Mewmans eat corn based food for every meal," he added with a forced laugh. Still no response or even any sign that Marco was paying attention. Tom tried once more, "You know I think..." before the boy in the red hoodie suddenly spun around with an angry look on his face.

"What is it with you?" Marco snapped as he stared at the startled demon prince. "We are already out here camping together. What's so important that we constantly talk to one another?" added the Latino as his breathing started to get louder and intensify.

"Whoa, slow down Marco," Tom responded, trying to calm his friend down. "You don't have to be so mad."

"I'm not mad," replied Marco, unconvincingly. "I'm just asking a simple question of why you think we have to talk when we're out here together in the wilderness," added the boy as he dropped his firewood on the ground and put his hands on his hips.

"Calm down man, I was just trying to talk with my friend," Tom answered, with a hint of sadness in his voice. The demon then turned his back to the boy and continued collecting firewood.

"Oh," Marco said, feeling bad as his expression changed and he realized he had never thought of that. "Hey, Tom... I'm sorry I snapped at you," Marco added as he rubbed the back of his neck and kicked at the ground. "I guess I just had a lot on my mind and I took it out on you."

"I knew you were upset," Tom responded as he turned back towards Marco, picking up his pile of firewood.

"You did? Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I'm your friend Marco, and I wanted you to able to talk to me when you felt comfortable talking."

"You know Tom you're not too bad for a demon," Marco said as they both shared a laugh.

"So, what's bothering you, if you don't mind me asking?" Tom commented in concern once the laughter died down.

"...Well it's kind of hard to explain," Marco answered as he looked down at his feet. "My life feels like it's getting harder when it's not, and I don't know why, but I feel like I'm being isolated from everyone and everything. I know all of this doesn't make any sense," added the boy as he rolled his eyes and shook his head at his previous statement. "I live in a castle in a magical dimension with my best friend, I've gone on crazy adventures, I've seen amazing things, and yet... and yet I feel... lonely. Everything is going right, and yet I feel so alone," Marco said as he continued to stare down at the grass and hugged himself with his arms.

"Do you think Star might have something to do with it?" Tom asked as he looked over at his distressed friend, and started walking towards him.

"What?!" Marco exclaimed as his head shot up and he stared at Tom with confusion, "what are you talking about?"

"I said, do you think Star could be the cause of your loneliness?" the demon said again.

"Star's my best friend... we do almost everything together... I live in her castle... I'm her squire... how could she make me feel lonely?" Marco inquired as his breathing intensified and he started to become uneasy. He felt like he would pass out any second.

"You say you guys are close, but how close are you really?" Tom asked.

"We are close of course," Marco responded, although he seemed to be saying it more to reassure himself of that belief. "We're best friends."

"Are you sure about that?" Tom asked, trying to trigger another response. He knew what he was easing into, but he didn't want to be too abrupt.

"We're closer than we've ever been," Marco declared as he started to back away from Tom. The boy's breathing continued to intensify and it seemed as if everything was caving in on top of him. "Star and I are incredibly close... aren't we?" He began to lose touch and begin talking to himself. "We couldn't get any closer, could we? Star trusts me, she tells me everything." He thought about what had just happened between them and smiled to himself, but it quickly faded. Suddenly, the boy backed into a tree, causing him to stiffen up, and his innermost thoughts hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh, who am I kidding?!" Marco blurted out as he slid down and sat with his back against the tree. "Star wants nothing to do with me! She's been avoiding me this whole time." He buried his head into his hands.

"Marco, that is so not true," Tom called out as he ran over beside Marco.

"Are you sure? You saw how she acted earlier and heard what she said. She doesn't want anything to do with me and yet just the other day she was opening up to me about Eclipsa's trial," Marco slumped down into his spot, his mind beginning to race.

"So, you feel like Star's pushing you away?" asked the demon as he sat down next to his friend.

"I don't know, maybe?" Marco responded as he lifted his head up to wipe his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. "It's like one day she wants me right next to her, and then the next day she wants me to be as far away as possible. It's like I can't please her to save my life, and I don't even know what I'm doing wrong. Now that you mention it, it does kind of feel like Star's pushing me away."

"I was afraid this would happen," replied the demon as he exhaled, focusing his gaze on a tree in front of him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I knew Star was treating you differently and lying to you, but when I told her, she ignored me." He kept himself from looking at Marco, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see that he was becoming more curious.

"Yeah, she has been acting different... Wait a minute," Marco paused as he processed everything Tom had just said. "...What did you mean she's been lying to me?" asked the Latino with a hint of anger in his voice. Star? Lying to him? The thought made him angry and caused him to feel sadness.

"I wanted Star to be the one to tell you, but you're my best friend, Marco, and I can't keep lying to you like this."

"Lying to me about what?" Marco asked again, with more urgency. Tom? Lying to him too? Boy, this day couldn't get any worse, Marco thought to himself.

"Star and I are no longer dating."

Marco just sat there with a shocked look on his face, staring at Tom as he continued. "In fact, we haven't been dating for a while."

"But but-" stammered Marco as he tried to process what the demon had just said. "B-But Star said you guys were still together! She kept going out of her way to make sure I knew it, too. She was faking all of it?

"I know she did," Tom responded as he put a reassuring hand on Marco's shoulder.

"...Why would Star lie about that to me? I'm supposed to be her best friend, her squire... Why did she feel like she couldn't tell me the truth?" Marco inquired, his voice cracking. He felt like his world was falling apart all around him with the realization that Star was keeping secrets from him.

"I think that's something you should talk to Star about," interjected Tom.

"How can I bring that up? How do I even know she won't just lie to me again," Marco cried as he ran his fingers through his long coffee-colored hair.

"Get a hold of yourself Marco," Tom said as he grabbed hold of Marco's shoulders and stared him directly in the eyes. "You and Star are still best friends, and you'll work this out. You guys always do."

"You really think so?" asked the boy with a glimmer of hope.

"I know so," answered the demon as he let go of the boy's shoulders, flashing him a reassuring, tooth-filled smile.

"Then I'll do it," Marco stated as he stood up. "That is... if you don't mind gathering the firewood by yourself."

"Pssssssh, I can handle that by myself, no problem," Tom said as he stood up, raised his arms, and flexed his muscles. "I'd be more worried about you trying to gather it on your own than me," the demon added with a smirk.

"Oh, you totally don't know how much in shape I am from karate," Marco quickly responded as he rolled up his hoodie sleeves and flexed his own muscles. The two teenage boys then proceeded to flex their muscles at one another, refusing to let the other win. After several different poses, they just broke out into fits of laughter and looked at one another.

"You know, you're a really great friend Tom," Marco said once they both stopped laughing and tried to catch their breath.

"Thanks Marco, I try to be," Tom's words were cut short as Marco grabbed him and embraced the demon. "Um... what are you doing?" Tom asked as he looked down at Marco.

"I'm giving you a bro hug dude," Marco answered as he continued hugging him.

"Oh," replied the demon, unsure of what to do next. He awkwardly reached his arms around Marco, and gave him a soft pat on the back.

"Sorry if it was a little weird," the human boy said as he let go of the demon.

"it's fine dude," Tom responded with a nervous laugh.

"Hey Tom, thanks again for telling me the truth about you and Star. It means a lot to me that the lying bothered you. It shows that you learned a few things."

"No problem dude. Now hurry up and go talk to Star. It's time for you guys to finally work things out."

"Alright Tom I will," Marco stated as he ran off into the brush to find the princess.

~•~

Right in front of him, he caught a glimpse of Star who was on her knees bending over towards the stream. The calmness and serenity of her form caused him to mentally smile to himself, and he almost forgot about what he was confronting her for, until he remembered. She was lying to him, and the more he thought about it, the worse his disappointment got. He proceeded to walk closer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" came a familiar voice from behind Star, startling her and almost sending her flying into the creek. The princess attempted to ignore the voice, and hoped it was just a figment of her imagination. Once again came that familiar voice, "Star, why didn't you just tell me the truth?" She couldn't muster the mental strength to ignore him any longer and turned around. There standing behind her was the figure of Marco Diaz leaning against a tree with arms crossed and an angered look plastered on his face.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Star stammered as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "What truth? There is no truth here."

"Yes you do Star, and you're still trying to avoid it," Marco answered as he stood up straight and began to walk over.

Star swung back around towards the creek and looked down at her reflection. "No.. I-I really don't know what you're talking about Marco," said the girl as she caught a glimpse of herself getting upset in her reflection. Why couldn't the boy just drop the subject and leave her alone, and how did he even know the truth to begin with?

"Star why didn't you tell me that you and Tom are no longer seeing each other," Marco said firmly as he came directly behind her, causing her to shudder.

The words stung Star, and her heart felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly. Marco's words cut deep, but they were honest and Star honestly knew that she deserved far worse for what she had done. Star could tell how upset the boy was from the tone of his voice and the shakiness of his words, but yet he wasn't casting any of his anger onto her. She couldn't form words, and she didn't know what to do, or what to say. All she felt was pure guilt for hurting her best friend, and she was reluctant to admit that Tom was actually right.

In fact, the boy was almost accepting full responsibility and Star couldn't believe what she heard as he continued. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you didn't tell me. I'm not really one that you should want to consult with on relationship issues. I wasn't a good friend when you and Tom were dating, and the one time you opened up to me and told me how you felt, I ignored your crush and didn't reply." Star's eyes dilated and her breathing intensified as she heard those last few words leave Marco's lips. He was actually talking about the moment she had revealed her crush, and he actually remembered what had happened. Star felt beads of sweat start to form on her forehead as she feared what the boy would say next, expecting him to finally say he felt nothing for her. To her surprise, the boy continued. "... I didn't know how to respond, and I guess I was too afraid of saying the wrong thing so I never said anything. That stunk and I know that I definitely stunk. So... I guess I actually understand why didn't want to talk to me about your relationship. I've always let you down on that subject , and I'm sorry for upsetting you and blaming you for not telling me. I guess I'll go now and leave you alone so I don't hurt you anymore."

However, as the boy started to stand up, the princess quickly spun around grabbed hold of him and yanked him down into her arms. Marco was shocked as Star hugged him tighter than she ever had before, and he honestly thought she was trembling. "Shut up Marco!" Star cried out as a few tears rolled down her heart-stamped cheeks. "You talk too much sometimes." The boy wasn't sure how to respond as he wrapped his arms around his best friend tightly. "You are and always will be my best friend, Marco Diaz," Star stated as she felt his hand rubbing her back, soothing her. "Marco I'm not upset with you, I'm upset with myself for not telling you the truth. I was stupid and afraid of what might happen once you knew the truth," added the princess as she tried to avoid any mention of her love for him. "...So please don't blame yourself Marco. This isn't your fault and I don't want you to beat yourself up. I let you down, and I'm sorry for not treating you like the best friend you are." Star was surprised as she felt Marco's arms reach around her lower and upper back as he pulled her tightly against his chest.

"I don't blame you for anything Star," Marco whispered, "Nothing you could say or do would ever hurt me."

Star melted in Marco's arms at those words and let the boy hold her tightly in his arms. She grabbed a hold of his red hoodie in one hand and ran her other hand through his soft brown hair. This boy was her best friend and he meant everything to her, and by the way he was hugging her, Star realized she meant a lot to him too. Perhaps it was finally time to tell him the truth about how she felt. If all else failed, she still had Eclipsa's spell. She felt the growing urge to unleash it.