Chapter 3: Triggered Comment

MPOV(Maka's POV)

After encountering and interacting with the ever-so energetic Diamond Ax, Sassy Simone, and her even more energetic meister, Mina, Soul and I arrived to the cafeteria where they were serving...*sigh*...pageant-themed food. I mean, Lipstick Pops? Cheesey Tiara Tots? Compact Sliders? Fab Fries? It seems that even the culinary department is obsessed with this stupid thing, too.

But, since I didn't want to starve to death, I reluctantly got myself some Cheesey Tiara Tots and a couple of the Compact Sliders. Soul got himself some Fab Fries, Compact Sliders, and a couple of slices of the Beauty Berry Pie(don't ask!).

We got our trays, went to our usual table(where our friends were), and I literally TORTURED myself as Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty kept talking about Miss DWMA this and Miss DWMA that. Look, I love my friends. I really do. They've been my BFTTD(Best Friends To The Death) and have supported me. But, due to this mind-boggling beauty pageant, it seems like they've been brainwashed and programmed to talk about this. Like I said, I tortured myself with conversations of wigs, cosplay costumes, Lolita dresses, trips to the Death City Spa, tans, and SO ON AND SO ON! There was a part of me that wished that I was a guy. That way, I could hear something OTHER THAN THIS! Sure, I had to listen to Black*Star's bragging and Kid's OCD freakouts, but at least it was somewhat less annoying than hearing about facial masks and maschera.

Anyway, after the migraine-inducing slaughterhouse known as "pageant chatter" at lunch, Soul and I were walking to the library so I could clear my mind with fresh new books.

Soul must have seen either the annoyed look on my face or the anger in my wavelength, because he said to me, "Maka, are you OK? Is something bothering you?"

I looked at him and said, "Yes, Soul! It's just that this pageant is getting on my nerves and I can't take it anymore!"

He smirked, then patted my head like a dog. "Like I said, don't worry.", he said. "The pageant will come and go just like that. And besides, even if you DID enter it, you would never win."

"What do you mean by that?", I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"What I mean is this: a girl who reads books and gets good grades yet lacks the feminine figure like you would get OVERSHADOWED by the dumb girl who flunks everything yet is very pretty. In other words, a bookworm like you could NEVER win the pageant."

WHAT?! Did he just say that?! I can't believe he said that smart girls can't win beauty pageants! I know that I was getting sick of my friends talking about it, but that comment triggered something I had to defend.

"Well, you know what, Soul?", I said to him, grabbing on his black tie as hard as I could. "I can win a beauty pageant despite not having the looks of a supermodel."

I knew that I was almost suffocating him with me pulling his tie, so I let it go. Afterwards, it seems like I didn't have the mood of going to the library, so I walked in the opposite direction.

"I thought that you wanted to go to the library, Maka.", Soul said, as he adjusted his tie. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere where you cannot come with me.", I bitterly said to him. "So, DON'T follow me. OK?"

Soul just stood there in silence as I walked away from him. As soon as I was far away from him as possible as I could, I had to think about what he said to me.

"A bookworm like you could NEVER win the pageant."

I admit that I never had the body of a beauty pageant contestant, but it was the way that Soul said that comment that got me questioning.

Can a girl like me actually win the title of Miss DWMA? Can I actually prove to Soul, the academy, and myself that a smart and intelligent girl like me CAN enter a beauty pageant and take home the crown?

As I was walking in the hallway and pondering this question, I stopped to find that the answer was in front of me. In the form of a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. I saw the list of girls who were participating. From people I knew such as Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters, Sassy and Mina, and Kim and Jackie to new people like Penny-Ling Pandera, Zoe Starington, Pepper Strebiskunk, Minka Bananington, Emi Toshiba, and Stephanie Martinez, to name a few. Then, I saw a blank line right next to a girl named Elena Jamesberry and got a blue pen out of my white Sparoi uniform shirt's breast pocket. I took a deep breath and signed my name in a cursive way.

I had to prove Soul wrong by doing something I would never do in a million years: enter the pageant and win the crown. But, now that I signed up, how am I supposed to become a beauty queen? What's the difference between transitioning from fighting kinshins and reading books to wearing ten-inch high heels and applying eyeliner? I don't know. But, I know someone who can teach me a few things about the glamorous world of beauty tips. And she's half feline.

Author's Note:

Well, if you haven't heard of Penny-Ling, Zoe, Pepper and Minka, these girls are humanized counterparts of the female pets from the Littlest Pet Shop cartoon on The Hub. Emi Toshiba is a character from the Dance Dance Revolution video game series(if you've played it, you know who she is). As for Stephanie, she's the prima donna character that's going to add some drama in the later chapters. Anywho, in the next chapter, if you haven't guessed, Blair is gonna be Maka's BP(Beauty Pageant) guru... and funny shenanigans ensue! But, I have to continue this chapter next month. Why? Well, look on my profile to find out. But, if you can't find my profile, it's just that due to religious beliefs, I'm taking a monthly hiatus. I hope you guys understand. Bye-bye!