Fighting Fire With Fire

6.

"No way!" Max exclaimed. 

"Oh, hell yes way," Selene replied. 

"No! It must've been someone else!" 

"Just accept that I'm always right. It's absolutely, undoubtedly him." 

The highly eloquent yes-no discussion lasted the entire short walk to Roe Ridge's LGBT+ meeting area. 

Max stuck his head around the wide open doors immediately, peering inside. Scanning the early comers already seated, he first spotted the redhead and then...

"Oh my God,  you were right," Max hissed.  

There Axel was, hidden away on the last row of chairs all the way in the corner, and staring down at his phone with raised shoulders. Like he was trying his damn hardest not to get noticed. Little too late for that, Golden Boy. Max grinned to himself. 

"I told you so!" Selene flipped her long hair over her shoulder, visibly pleased with herself. 

"You were right," Max repeated. "I won't doubt you again. Just... holy shit. What is even going on? I suddenly understand why Golden Boy is spreading the lie he wants to wait until marriage. Convenient way to work around having to date." 

Selene's eyes sparkled. "Mhm. So, wanna go say hi to nervous little Axel over there?" 

"Well," Max said, unable to suppress a grin at the prospect of, in all likelihood, embarrassing Axel, "it'd be terribly rude of me not to say hi to my parents' best friends' son." 

"That it would be." Selene snorted. "Have fun, I'm gonna sit... somewhere else." 

Selene unsurprisingly made for the empty seat next to the redhead, who greeted her with a pearly white, shy smile. Max walked all the way to the back. 

"Axel!" he called out cheerfully once he got close.

Axel's shoulders twitched. His head whipped to Max and his eyes went wide. Then he stiffened in his seat, eyes darting to all the other eyes who'd been drawn to them because of Max's yelling. 

Max smiled pleasantly, aiming to lower himself on the chair next to Golden Boy. However, before he could Axel stood abruptly, nearly topping over the chair with his rough movements. Something akin to both pure rage and sheer panic flashed across his features before he pushed past Max and paced towards the open door. 

"Hey wait!" Max called after him, which only seemed to make Golden Boy move faster. Damn, that guy could move fast. Max was wholly unable to catch up to him until they were already halfway through the hall leading outside. 

"Wait!" Max called out again, overtaking Axel, and placing himself in between Axel and the exit. 

Axel miraculously halted just in time  to avoid crashing into Max. "What?" he snapped through clenched teeth. 

"It's just, holy crikes." Max couldn't keep a grin off his face. "I didn't even know you had a sexuality Cortés!" 

Letting out a frustrated growl, Axel once again pushed passed Max, this time ramming his shoulder into him as he went. 

But Max wasn't going to let him leave that easily. He paced after Axel, following him outside and catching up again as Axel stopped next to his car. 

"So you're gay then?" Max asked, letting his hand rest on the hood of Axel's car. He knew fully well it would piss him off, and so it did. Axel's hands balled into fists. 

"I'm not discussing this with you. Get your paws off my car and move, before I run you over." Axel threw the car door open in a threatening manner.