Chapter 11: The Gay Panic

Max thought things couldn't get weirder, but fate had a way of proving him wrong—spectacularly wrong. He stood outside A's apartment, nervously adjusting his collar. This dinner invitation was supposed to be a glimmer of hope, a way to salvage his shattered pride after finding out she was into girls.

"Okay, Max," he muttered to himself, shaking off the nerves. "This is just dinner. You got this. She probably just wants to be friends. Totally cool, totally fine."

He knocked on the door, and it swung open instantly. There was A, looking just as gorgeous as ever, but before he could say anything, she pulled him inside.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" A said, but her eyes sparkled with something... suspicious.

Max tried to play it cool. "Y-yeah, wouldn't miss it. So, what are we having?"

Before A could answer, a tall, ridiculously handsome man stepped out of the kitchen holding two plates of food. He had chiseled features, perfect hair, and the kind of smile that made Max feel both inadequate and strangely... paranoid.

"Max, this is Luca," A said, gesturing toward Mr. Chiseled-Jawline. "He's a really good friend of mine."

Max blinked. Friend? Why did that word feel like a ticking time bomb?

Luca smiled warmly, but Max swore he saw something devious in his eyes. "I've heard so much about you, Max. A tells me you're... interesting."

"Uh, thanks?" Max forced a smile, trying to ignore the way Luca's gaze seemed to scan him up and down like a barcode.

As they sat down for dinner, the air was thick with tension—not romantic tension, more like the "What am I doing here?" kind of tension. Max's suspicions grew as Luca leaned in close, his arm brushing Max's way too many times for comfort.

"You're really handsome," Luca suddenly said, a little too casually, as if commenting on the weather.

Max nearly choked on his water. "Uh, thanks. You too, I guess?" He glanced nervously at A, who was busy scrolling through her phone, not noticing the awkwardness that had firmly taken root at the table.

"Max," Luca started, in a tone that felt far too intimate, "I've been looking for someone like you."

Max's brain short-circuited. Someone like me? What does that mean? His mind raced through all possible scenarios, each worse than the last. Oh no, oh no, oh no!

Just then, A snapped out of her phone trance and looked up with a wide grin. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Luca's gay. He's been trying to find the perfect boyfriend, and I thought... you two would really hit it off!"

Max's soul left his body.

"W-what?" Max stammered, his voice cracking. "You... you thought I'd be a good match? A... I... I'm not... I mean... I'm straight!"

A looked genuinely surprised. "Oh! I had no idea. You just have that, you know, vibe."

"Vibe?" Max repeated, feeling the room spin. What does that even mean?

Luca, completely unfazed, leaned in closer. "Are you sure you're straight, Max? We could always test it out, you know, see if there's chemistry."

Max shot up from the table so fast his chair nearly tipped over. "NOPE! I—uh—I gotta go! Totally forgot I left... uh... the oven on. At home. In the dorm. Yeah, important stuff!"

Before A or Luca could say another word, Max was already at the door, bolting out of the apartment like he was being chased by wild animals. His heart pounded in his chest as he raced down the street, not daring to look back.

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Back at the dorm, Max flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to process what just happened. He groaned loudly.

"Why me? Why is it always me?" He buried his face in his pillow. "I just wanted dinner, not a panic attack!"

His roommate, Jaden, walked in, glancing at Max's distressed state. "Dude, you okay?"

Max lifted his head, glaring at him. "No! I was just set up with a guy... by the girl I like... who's a lesbian... and now she thinks I'm gay!"

Jaden blinked, then snorted. "That's... that's rough, buddy."

"Rough? Try traumatic!" Max sat up, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe this is my life now."

Jaden, ever the joker, grinned. "Hey, maybe Luca's still single. You could give him another shot."

Max grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Jaden's face. "NOT. FUNNY."

Jaden ducked, laughing as the pillow soared past him. "Come on, man! At least you got a free meal out of it."

Max flopped back onto the bed, sighing. "Yeah, a free meal... and a heart attack."

Jaden shook his head, still laughing. "You seriously need to work on your gaydar, bro. This keeps happening to you."

Max groaned. "I swear, the universe is playing some twisted game with me."

Jaden shrugged. "Or maybe it's just karma for something you did in a past life."

"Or this one," Max muttered, pulling the blanket over his head. "I just wanted a normal college experience... but apparently, that's too much to ask."

Jaden patted him on the back. "Well, look at the bright side. At least you're not actually dating Luca."

Max peeked out from under the blanket. "I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse."

"Definitely better," Jaden said with a smirk. "Trust me, I've seen the way he looks at guys."

Max sighed again. "I need a break from people. All people."

Jaden nodded. "Good luck with that. In college? No chance."

Max groaned again, knowing deep down that Jaden was right. There's no escaping this madness... is there?

Chapter 11 ended with Max questioning all his life decisions, once again caught in the ever-worsening web of his bizarre college experience.

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