"..."

The awkward silence was beginning to settle nicely among the three boys. Then again, when you're stuck in a porta potty with two other guys and your leg is shin-deep in toilet water, how could it get any more awkward? This was just one of the many, many thoughts circling the brain of Marco. Now, it wasn't the most prominent thought in his head, but… it snuck its way in there, amid all the panicky mental screams that just summed up his day in a nutshell.

"Uh.. Marco? Are you ok?" Alfonso asked carefully, not wanting to light the fuse of a ticking time bomb. However, Marco's face was stock still with absolutely no trace of emotion.

"Alfonso… Ferguson…," Marco said, his voice soft and surprisingly calm. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to take off my pants… and Ferguson's going to give me his jacket to cover up."

"WHAT?!" Alfonso and Ferguson screamed in unison.

Marco slowly held up his hand, signaling for silence. "Then, when I've tied the jacket around my waist, we're going to run to my house like our lives depend on it."

The two confused boys looked at each other, not sure whether to be impressed with MArco's calmness… or to be afraid of what kind of rage Marco was bottling up and getting ready to release. They looked back at Marco, his face still devoid of emotion.

"Are we clear on what's about to happen?" Marco asked, his hands reaching down to grab the waist of his pants, getting ready to pull them down.

"W-wait!" Ferguson demanded, holding his hands up to signal an immediate pause. "I-I have several questions…"

"Well…," Marco responded, slowly pulling his leg out of the toilet. The water dripped loudly on the floor, causing both of Marco's friends to move their feet to avoid contact. Marco then put down the seat just as slowly as the previous action was, and then sat down. He put his hands together and put his arms on his knees, looking like a CEO boss during an important meeting. His eyes met Ferguson, then he said, "Go right ahead."

"Is this really the time for questions, Ferguson?" Alfonso asked, slightly annoyed and completely freaked out. "I mean… we need to get out of here before things get worse."

Marco let out a sarcastic laugh, showing emotion for the first time in a while. "Alfonso... Can it get any worse than this? I really don't think questions will affect anything. Go ahead, Ferguson."

"Well," Ferguson began, scratching his head. "One, why are you using MY jacket to cover up? You have a hoodie on. And two, are you still gonna tell Star how you feel? I mean, not right now, but… you know..."

Marco stood up quickly, startling the two boys. His face now was red with anger and embarrassment. "Well, Ferguson, we're using your jacket because it's big enough to cover up my business. No offense."

Due to Marco standing up and his voice beginning to fill with anger, the two boys were now slowly crouching away. "None taken," Ferguson answered nervously.

"And, to answer your next question, I'd like to show you Exhibit Z of what I'd call the worst day of my life," Marco then pointed quickly to his wet pant leg. His hand was shaking, as was his voice. "It took me a little bit, but I've finally realized. The text message… the porta-potty... the leg I have to disinfect tonight… they are all signs. Signs that I'm not suppose to tell Star how I really feel. Signs that… I'm nothing in comparison to her…" Marco's entire body was now shaking, tears becoming visible in his eyes. "I just… I just want to go home, and… forget this whole night. Can we please do that… please?"

Alfonso and Ferguson looked sadly at their distraught friend, who was hiding his face in his hoodie. They then got up slowly and walked towards Marco, putting their hand on his shoulders.

"Yeah… we can do that," they said together. Marco lifted his head out of his hoodie, giving them a weak smile with a face wet with tears.

"Thanks."

As Marco began to take off his pants, Ferguson looked away awkwardly and asked, "So… do you guys want to watch a movie when we get home?"

Alfonso smacked him on the back of the head, shaking his head. "Really, dude?"

"No… that sounds nice," Marco said, still wearing a weak smile. Ferguson proceeded to stick his tongue out at Alfonso, who rolled his eyes in response. "Maybe we can wat- WHOOOOA!"

Just as Marco was about to take his legs out of his pants, he felt the door he was leaning against begin to open. He felt himself fall down as everything around him began to move in slow motion. He saw his two friends reaching out to grab him, and he felt the warmness of the night beginning to surround him. As he hit the soft grass beneath him, he slowly looked up and realized just how much worse the situation had become.

He was now lying outside.

His pants pulled down.

In front of Star Butterfly.