Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
“I don’t get it. I thought she broke off the engagement with Amelia. Without the Chapman family backing her, getting back into Langford should’ve been impossible. How the hell did she manage to get Mr. Drake to roll out the red carpet for her?” “What’s really going on here?”
Amelia and Skyler were both in shock.
Skyler blinked hard. “Amy, same name, right? There’s no way our Cameron is getting this kind of welcome.”
Amelia hesitated, her voice uncertain. “Maybe. Could be.”
But the moment they saw Cameron step onto that red carpet, moving slowly, confidently, through the thunderous applause and toward the center stage, their jaws dropped.
It was Cameron, the very same Cameron who had been expelled. And now, here she was, making the boldest return anyone had ever seen.
“Oh my God, Amy,” Skyler gasped. “I’m literally gonna lose it.”
Amelia stared in disbelief. “How did he how did Cameron pull this off?”
Upon the stage, Cameron stood tall in her Langford Academy uniform. She looked poised, composed, and unrealistically good-looking. Beside her stood William and several other high-ranking school officials.
A subtle, knowing smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “I’m honored to be back,” she said calmly. “Thank you, Mr. Drake. And thank you, everyone.”
Cameron’s tone was cool and collected. But the crowd below it erupted in chaos.
Class 15 students were absolutely stunned.
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“No freaking way. That’s Cameron? How in the world did she make this happen? This feels unreal.”
“All this for Cameron? I can’t even wrap my head around it.”
“It’s like something out of a movie. What if Cameron’s actually been some kind of hidden big shot this whole time?”
Elijah stared at Cameron on stage, bathed in lights, her whole presence practically glowing.
She looked radiant, undeniably captivating. His surprise quickly turned into joy.
She said she would come back. ‘And she did, just like that, in such a short time and with a dramatic entrance like this, he thought.
For once, a faint smile crept onto Elijah’s usually stoic face.
Amelia was stunned as well, her eyes fixed on the stage. ‘Since when did Cameron become this impressive? Mr. Drake promised my dad that he would expel her. And now, here he is-welcoming her back like some sort of VIP. Cameron must have something that caught Mr. Drake’s eye, she thought, she wondered.
She looked Cameron over carefully. ‘Maybe she’s not as useless as I thought. But I like Bradley. Compared to him, Cameron’ s still got a long way to go, she wondered.
Amelia tilted her head slightly and glanced over her shoulder just enough to catch sight of the young man in the school uniform and gold-rimmed glasses.
Bradley’s gentle gaze was locked on Cameron. His lips curled faintly into a smile, and a quiet warmth radiated from him. Amelia paused. For some reason, the way Bradley looked at Cameron made her uncomfortable. She could not quite put her finger on it, but something just felt off.
“Holy crap,” Xander blurted out, practically jumping out of his seat. ‘Cameron is killing it up there. Mr. Drake actually welcomed her back himself. I was worried she got into a fight with my dad or something, but she handled it all on her own. Man, she’s incredible, he thought.
Back on stage, William gave a few more words of welcome, then personally led Cameron down the red carpet and toward Class 15.
Cameron nodded with satisfaction. “Thank you, Mr. Drake. You gave me what I asked for. In three months, I’ll give you what you want.”
William beamed. “Alright.” He believed her.
Cameron turned and walked into the classroom, heading for her usual seat in the back row.
But Brody called out, “Cameron, your seat’s over here, next to Elijah.”
She stopped in her tracks, surprised. ‘I’m sitting next to Elijah?’ she wondered.
Still, she went along with the arrangement, slinging her backpack onto the empty seat beside him.
William turned to Brody and instructed, “Mr. Graham, make sure no one in the class disturbs Cameron while she’s studying. If anything comes up, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” Brody replied. With that, William finally left, looking satisfied. The students began trickling back into the classroom.
“Cameron, that was amazing. Mr. Drake personally welcomed you back-that’s a first in this school’s history, right?”
“You looked so chill up there on stage. It was seriously cool.”
“Cameron, how did you pull this off?”
The students gathered around her, buzzing with excitement. Elijah, meanwhile, quietly took his seat. He was just as curious as the rest of them. How had Cameron managed this? He stared at her, waiting for her to explain.
Cameron answered, “I told Mr. Drake-” Everyone leaned in, hanging on her words. “I told him I’d be the top scorer in the province on this year’s SATs.”
The room fell silent.
Then someone said, “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. We all know you’re a legend anyway.”
Assuming she was just brushing them off, the crowd dispersed.
Elijah leaned in slightly and asked in a low voice, “Will you tell me?” After all, they had shared drinks together once.
Cameron looked at him. “Tell you what?”
Elijah said softly, “Why were you allowed to cor
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“I told you already,” Cameron said. “I promised him I’d get the highest score on this year’s SATs
Elijah froze. ‘So she really does not want to talk about it; he wondered.
Though he was curious, he knew better than to push her. He quietly flipped open his math textbook. This period was math class.
Josh, their math teacher, walked in with a bounce in his step. Bearning at Cameron he said, “Cameron, if you can, try helping Elijah out. Maybe tutor him a bit when you have time.”
After all, Cameron scored a perfect. ‘Elijah’s got potential, too. If he spends some time learning from her, who knows-he might hit a perfect score as well. Two students from my class are getting a perfect math SAT? I’d brag about that for a year, Josh thought, a little too pleased with himself.
The whole class went silent, including Elijah.
Cameron, for a moment, had no idea what to say.
Josh took her silence as agreement. Holding up a stack of papers, he added, “Take out your mock exam sheets. Let’s go over them. These questions are basic, yet somehow people still manage to mess them up.”
Elijah lowered his voice and asked, “You want me to tutor you?”
He figured the teacher had mixed up their names. No way would Elijah, the top scorer, need help from someone who nearly flunked. He assumed Josh meant for him to help Cameron out.
“Huh? Uh, yes.” Cameron blinked and nodded. “If you’re free, I’d appreciate it.”
Elijah thought for a second. “Yeah, I’ve got time.”
Cameron was stunned. But she really had no intention of studying with anyone. Rubbing her forehead, she sighed quietly. Elijah continued, “Just pay attention in class first. If anything doesn’t make sense, ask me afterward.”
“Thanks,” Cameron said softly, wondering, ‘He really is a nice guy, she thought. Cold on the outside, but actually really warm -hearted.’
Math class came to an end. Up next was Spanish. Lacey spotted Elijah and Cameron sitting together and smiled. “Cameron, Elijah,” she said warmly, “you two should talk more, learn from each other. You’re already doing great, but there’s always room to grow, right?”
The whole class looked stunned. No one expected Lacey to single out Cameron for praise. Even Cameron and Elijah were caught off guard.
Cameron felt exasperated. She never wanted this much attention. ‘Being a slacker might not be such a bad deal. At least no one’s breathing down your neck all the time, she wondered.
Elijah gave her a curious look, but Cameron offered no response. When Spanish class ended, so did their morning lessons.
They had a two-and-a-half-hour break before afternoon classes.
Elijah turned to her and asked, “Cameron, want to grab lunch together?”
Cameron was a bit surprised but did not turn him down. “Sure.”
As students started to trickle out of the classroom, a familiar voice called out, “Hey, Cameron.”
Xander stood at the doorway, waving at the two of them. The moment the bell rang, he had sprinted straight over from Class 15.
Cameron stepped outside the room, and Xander slapped her shoulder twice with a bit too much force. “Cameron. Not bad at all. That was some serious recognition you got. Let’s celebrate, yeah? Come on, I’ll take you to the best restaurant in Viremont.”
Cameron frowned. That kind of force was totally unnecessary.
If it had been anyone else, they would probably have been knocked backward a few steps.
Elijah’s brow furrowed. “Xander, she already made plans with me.”
Xander’s face darkened. He looked at Cameron and asked, “So, Cameron, who are you picking-me or him?”
He glanced sideways at Elijah, pretty confident she would choose him.
