Everyone was Boss.
Everyone was Boss.
Nobody knows exactly who started it.
Maybe it was construction workers. Maybe it was mechanics. Maybe it was older students trying to sound cool.
But somehow, the word escaped into university life.
And once it did, there was no stopping it.
"Boss, Pass Me That."
That was usually how it started.
"Boss, pass me that pen."
"Boss, what time is the lecture?"
"Boss, you got the notes?"
"Boss, are you coming?"
It didn't matter if the person you were talking to was your best friend, a stranger, or someone you'd met approximately thirty seconds ago.
They were Boss.
It became so normal that nobody even noticed how ridiculous it was anymore.
Even the Lecturers Got Promoted
Eventually, students started calling lecturers Boss.
Not officially, obviously.
Nobody was walking into a lecture hall and saying:
"Good morning, Boss."
At least, not if they valued their grades.
But outside the classroom?
Absolutely.
"Boss, did you see the assignment?"
"Boss, are we writing today?"
"Boss, can you explain question four?"
The strange thing was that some lecturers started calling students Boss too.
At that point, the entire university had effectively collapsed into one giant workplace where nobody knew who was actually in charge.
Then It Got Worse
The word started replacing almost every other form of address.
Friend?
Boss.
Classmate?
Boss.
Stranger?
Boss.
Security guard?
Boss.
Someone you had an argument with five minutes ago?
Still Boss.
Even people who clearly hated each other couldn't escape it.
"Boss, move."
"No, Boss."
"Boss, I'm warning you."
"Do what you want, Boss."
It was beautiful.
It was stupid.
And somehow, everyone understood it.
The Phrase That Went Too Far
Then came the jokes.
People started using "Boss" in situations where absolutely nobody should have been called Boss.
One of the most infamous examples became:
"Boss, can I borrow your girlfriend?"
Nobody actually expected the answer to be yes.
It was simply the kind of question someone would ask their friend purely to see their reaction.
And if the friend got angry?
"Relax, Boss."
That somehow made it worse.
Eventually, Everyone Got Tired of It
Like every embarrassing trend, it eventually disappeared.
People stopped deliberately calling each other Boss.
New students stopped understanding why older students laughed whenever someone used the word.
But every now and then, someone would still walk past a friend and casually say:
"What's up, Boss?"
And for a brief moment, everyone remembers.
There was a time when Ravenport had no ordinary people.
There were only Bosses.
