BS Popularity Plan

Black Star sat at the edge of his seat, his chin settled in his gloved palms, his elbows on his desk. He furiously wiggled his pencil to and fro against his cheek and frowned. He needed to concentrate. It needed to come to him. This would be...legendary.

His previously unfocused green eyes darted down at a head of white hair that popped up from the row of desks below in the college-esque lecture classroom. "What are you doin'?" Soul asked, plopping his folded arms on the front of the boy's desk.

Black Star pouted, his train of thought lost. But this was Soul. If anyone, he would understand. "I'm working on a plan to make me more popular." Soul raised an eyebrow. "I know, crazy, right? But Maka keeps on tellin' me I'm not the biggest hotshot popular guy in this school and I'm sick of it. So if this plan doesn't get me noticed by each and every person here today, I promised I'd wash your motorcycle. And cleaning things ain't my forte, you know?"

"Wait, wash my motorcycle? Maka put you up to that?" Soul stared sternly at his sleeves, wondering whether he should angrily confront his meister about his apparently dirty ride or not.

"Here, look at this," Black Star said proudly, shoving the paper he had been scribbling on into his friend's face.

Soul settled his chin on his arms and read quietly. Once finished, the paper promptly folded down on its own, accenting the scythe's now utterly confused and disappointed expression. "What the hell's this?"

Black Star's face fell. "You don't like it?" He snatched it out of his hand and held it up, out of his reach. "It's a brilliant plan and you know it. But since you look so weirded out, I'll give ya the details. You see, it's a list of aconiems I made up-"

"Acronyms?"

"Yes!"

"Oh."

"-and I'm gunna start using 'em in everyday conversation. I'll be beastin' 'em out everywhere! The best part is: no one will have any clue what I'm talking about!" Black Star hopped out of his seat and started on an imitation spree with a snooty, high-pitched voice and his hands on his hips. "'Oh my goodness, Black Star! You're so marvelous! I didn't think you could do it, though I have no idea what you're trying to say!'" Hardly a second passed before his voice dropped many octaves lower and he pointed right at Soul. "'Black Star, I seriously want in on this, bro!'" ("I don't sound like that.") Immediately after, he clamped his hands to the side of his face with a gleam in his eyes and said in a nerdy voice, "'Black Shtar, you're sho cwool and shtuff! I wish I could be shartin' trendsh twoo!'" For the grand finale, he stood on his desk and shouted, "It'll turn into the new craze! I'm the best, hya ha ha ha haa!"

The last cry definitely grabbed the other students' attention. He was like a magnet, garnering all their weird looks. Death the Kid, a few seats over, rolled his eyes from behind a thick novel and said, "A little decorum, Black Star?"

"Shut up, Kid, I'm on a roll," the assassin said easily and jumped down into the stair aisle.

Soul turned to him and smirked. "Black Star, I seriously want in on this, bro."

His bro threw him a thumbs up. "KYW."

"Eh?"

"'Knew you would'. You'll have to be a fast learner if you want to keep up with the great me, BYW. 'But you will'."

The two boys shared a mischievous grin.

Nearing the end of the school day Maka walked through the halls of Shibusen with a small textbook dangling from her right hand, absorbed in her own thoughts. She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. Ever since the end of lunch break, students had been speaking in some kind of mysterious, exclusive code. It was like everyone knew it but her. She sighed when she remembered an encounter from just a few moments ago:

Approaching Liz and Patty in front of the job request board, Maka had called, "Hey, Patty. Did you guys pick a new mission yet?"

"Nah, WWT."

"Excuse me?"

"'We will, though'! Get with the program, Maka! GWTP!"

The meeting had left Maka in shock. What was she talking about then?

The meister rounded a corner quicker than she anticipated and bumped into Tsubaki. The girl bowed in apology and said timidly, "Maka-chan, you haven't heard about the recent trend, have you?"

"Heh, how could I not? Do you know what's going on?"

"Um," Tsubaki said, wringing her hands. "Black Star is passing around a trend that involves talking in mostly acronyms. He only did it to spite you. I hope you can forgive him."

"Black Star!" Maka cried as she weaved around the weapon and stormed off down the hall.

Tsubaki called after her, "Don't be mad! DBM!"

"She didn't just say that, did she?" Maka thought while she waved the comment away in a huff. When she approached Doctor Stein's classroom, she heard an increased level of noise. There, in front of the door, was a huge crowd of students all chatting animatedly with each other. Most of them huddled in an arc around two proud individuals: Soul Eater and Black Star.

"Black Star, you're so cool and stuff!" one student said gleefully. "Totally IYF, ILI!"

"I wish I could be starting trends too!" said another.

Black Star gave a bow. "Now, now, MF, you all WYC BAGAM."

Maka came to stand by a black-clad student just out of the crowd's vicinity, rolling her eyes. This all had to be about that snide comment she made to Black Star this morning. She hadn't meant it to be a bet, but he wouldn't leave her alone.

"Inconvenient, isn't it?" Death the Kid said next to her, crossing his arms. "They're blocking the door. We're all going to be late if they don't stop these ridiculous conversations soon."

Maka nodded. "Spite me, will you?"

Kid gave her a puzzled look before realizing she was talking about the center of attention.

The Shibusen students in front of them rattled off unheard of acronyms every other word, as if it was a style of speaking they were always accustomed to. The arc of kids were asking the two innovators a barrage of questions, like "Are there any new words?" and "What does this word mean? Not that I don't know; I'm only checking."

Maka pushed her way through the crowd clutching her book. When her and Black Star's eyes met, the students swore they could see a flash of lightning. A few backed off. Others went silent or shifted to a whisper.

"Black Star, this is stupid. Making up silly acronyms? I can't believe people are going along with it!"

"Jealous of my popularity? Hya ha ha!" Black Star slung an arm around Soul's shoulders, who chuckled, his hands in his pockets. "And YBB people are going along with it. I even got the teachers to join in! Miss Marie, Sid, Stein, your dad. Even Shinigami-sama! They're FTBSC! YOTBS! Yeah!"

Maka put her head in her hand. "I didn't think you could do it; though I have no idea what you're trying to say."

Soul and Black Star burst out laughing at that.

Soul leaned up against the classroom door and said, "YA freakin' MR, dude!"

"I know, ha ha!"

The scythe meister flinched, her cheeks growing hot. Despite her aversion to their one-sided bet, she then leaned full into it. "Well, I haven't lost. You haven't gotten everyone in the school to drool over your dumb trend!"

Black Star cockily raised an eyebrow. "Haven't I?"

Quickly scanning the crowd, Maka answered, "Kid! I'm sure he hasn't said one acronym all day!" and threw her index finger in the Reaper's direction.

"Ah," Kid mumbled, averting his eyes as he was enveloped in a new shame. "My apologies, Maka. I said 'INS' earlier."

Maka turned back to her adversary. "But- what about me? I never-"

"You don't count," Black Star spat.

"Yes I do!"

"NYD!"

"You can't change the rules!"

"You CCTR!"

"Stop that!"

Ding, dong!

The bell rang out, ceasing all conversations. The kids exchanged glances with each other. In a fit of anxiety, half the meisters and weapons ran full speed to their classes, cursing themselves for not noticing the time. The other half of the meisters and weapons, in a fit of pure laziness, dragged their feet away to their classes, wondering if their endless acronym chatter was worth it. They didn't understand much of the stuff they were babbling about anyway.

In the rush, Maka, Soul, and Black Star were shoved this way and that until eventually, the students either cleared out or crammed through the doorway to Dr. Stein's classroom (Kid had been the first inside, shouting, "Out of the way! I'm on a schedule! I'm so stupid for being late! Garbage!").

"Well, that was quick. I guess everyone's kinda over the acronym thing now," Soul noted, straightening up and brushing himself off.

Black Star, irked at the students for running him over, pounded a fist into his hand. "It may be over, but they'll NFT. They'll never forget me."

"They never forgot you. You get in fights all the time."

Maka snorted. "IKR. You're well-known, Black Star, but you'll never be popular in my book."

Black Star and Soul shot their eyes at her in horror and inhaled as dramatically as they possibly could.

When the confused Maka finally realized what she had said, she went red as a cherry and raised her text book in rage at the boys' explosion of laughter.

"Yahoo! Looks like I'm the winner now!"

The legendary Maka Chop was heard throughout the school.

The End

Author's Note

Here are the meanings to the acronyms that weren't explained:
IYF: In Your Face
ILI: I Love It
MF: My Followers
WYC: Wish You Could
BAGAM: Be As Good As Me
YBB: You Better Believe
FTBSC: Following The Black Star Craze
YOTBS: Year Of The Black Star
YAMR: You're A Mind Reader
INS: It's Not Symmetrical
NYD: No You Don't
CCTR: Can't Change The Rules
NFT: Never Forget This
IKR: I Know, Right?

I also want to give a big thank you to my beta reader, Taira-chan!