>> Still, I bet that in addition to feeling isolated from his parents and fraternity brothers because he knows (or believes) they will not accept him coming out, <<
Given what we know about the parents, Sam is almost certainly right about them reacting negatively if they found out about him being gay. Given the fraternity's reputation, it seems likely that a majority of them would also be displeased. But 10% is 10% -- he probably isn't alone in that closet. 0_o
>> he is also feeling isolated because his classmates, in the new minor and elsewhere, are looking at his socially awkward self and the fear at least some of them can see, and not imagining that he's hiding a normal thing like being gay.<<
Yyyyyeah.
>> I would expect some of them are avoiding him because they fear that he's hiding being the person (or one of the people) who spiked the punch. <<
Maybe, but more likely they just resent everyone in that fraternity for being macho dicks.
>> If people see him exhibiting superpowers, that could intensify that suspicion, especially if the punch didn't give lots of the victims such aftereffects, or at least if people don't know that the punch gave some of the victims superpowers.<<
Reactions to superpowers are patchy. Some people are forks and hate them; some are groupies and love them. People would know that most victims did not develop superpowers, and probably know that a few did. Not everyone would necessarily know what happened to whom, though.
Thoughts
Given what we know about the parents, Sam is almost certainly right about them reacting negatively if they found out about him being gay. Given the fraternity's reputation, it seems likely that a majority of them would also be displeased. But 10% is 10% -- he probably isn't alone in that closet. 0_o
>> he is also feeling isolated because his classmates, in the new minor and elsewhere, are looking at his socially awkward self and the fear at least some of them can see, and not imagining that he's hiding a normal thing like being gay.<<
Yyyyyeah.
>> I would expect some of them are avoiding him because they fear that he's hiding being the person (or one of the people) who spiked the punch. <<
Maybe, but more likely they just resent everyone in that fraternity for being macho dicks.
>> If people see him exhibiting superpowers, that could intensify that suspicion, especially if the punch didn't give lots of the victims such aftereffects, or at least if people don't know that the punch gave some of the victims superpowers.<<
Reactions to superpowers are patchy. Some people are forks and hate them; some are groupies and love them. People would know that most victims did not develop superpowers, and probably know that a few did. Not everyone would necessarily know what happened to whom, though.