Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Cameron looked so much lankier and weaker than Xander, so no one had expected her to take him down so easily.
Elijah stood frozen, staring at Cameron like he was seeing her for the first time.
He wondered, ‘Not only is he not a slacker, but does he actually know how to fight too? Had he really kept all that under wraps just to get out of the engagement with Amelia?’ Next to him, Austin’s jaw dropped. A beat later, he leaned toward Xander. “Xan, you alright? Are you-hurting anywhere?”
“Ow!” Xander finally snapped out of it, still lying on the ground. “Cameron, you’re done for. You hurt me, so pay up for my medical bills and compensation for my emotional damages, or I’ll have you thrown in jail.”
Cameron let out a dry laugh. “Oh, really? Ever heard of something called self-defense, Xander? You might wanna look it up sometime.”
“Self-defense?” Xander was caught off guard. Honestly, all that talk about sending Cameron to the police station was just a bluff.
Cameron was way out of line, so Xander just wanted to rough her up to get her to tone down. But to his surprise, Cameron was not fazed by it at all.
Expressionlessly, she said, “In Article 20 of the Criminal Law, if you violate my rights and I fight back-even if you get hurt-it’s still considered self-defense on my end. I don’t carry any legal responsibility.
“Try reading something sometime, you know, other than gym schedules.” With that, Cameron turned and walked off.
Bradley was surprised. He was just about to say Cameron’s actions counted as self- defense, but she beat him to it and even managed to name the exact article. A look of pure delight flashed in Bradley’s eyes at the revelation.
Cameron hopped on her mountain bike and rode off, with Bradley hurrying after him.
“Who are you calling a legal illiterate, you little punk?” Xander was so mad he almost exploded from rage.
Elijah chimed in, “Cameron’s right, you really are all muscle and no brains. He basically called you out to your face, and you still have to ask if he was referring to you?
“With your IQ, do you really think you’d get into Langford Academy if you weren’t from the Murphy family?”
And with that, Elijah pushed off and rode away too.
Xander sprang up from the ground and yelled, “Elijah, don’t run if you think you’re so tough!”
Austin was trying so hard not to laugh that it was suffocating him.
Xander shot him a glare. “What are you laughing at?”
Austin coughed to cover up for himself. “Xan, I wasn’t laughing.”
Xander snorted, “I’m not blind, you know.”
Austin quietly got on his mountain bike and followed the others down the hill.
Xander was so frustrated that he could die. With everyone else already gone, he had no choice but to hop on his bike and ride down the hill too.
Bradley quickly caught up to Cameron, and the two rode side by side. Going downhill was a breeze, so they barely had tosuccessfully unlocked to do was steer.
Bradley asked Cameron excitedly, “You’re into law too?”
Cameron nodded. “Kind of. I’ve read a few books about it.”
Bradley grinned. “You really surprised me, Cameron.”
Cameron smiled back. “Brad, being a lawyer is actually pretty tough. Are you sure that’ s what you want?”
Bradley nodded. “Of course. It’s been my dream job since I was a kid.”
“I believe you’ll make a great lawyer.”
“I believe it too.”
As they chatted, Elijah caught up to them. He said, “Cameron, don’t let Xander get to you.”
Cameron just shook her head, indicating that she wasn’t bothered at all by Xander.
Soon, Austin caught up with them too.
He looked pale and a little guilty. “Sorry Cam, this is all on me. If I hadn’t posted on Instagram, Xan wouldn’t have shown up, and you guys wouldn’t have gotten into it.”
Cameron shot Austin a look but said nothing. Then, without a word, she took off on her mountain bike, leaving him behind in a cloud of dust. Elijah fell back shortly after, unable to keep up.
Only Bradley kept pace, riding alongside Cameron as they coasted downhill. Eventually, the two found a small restaurant at the foot of the mountain and stopped for a bite.
They had packed lunches, but Xander’s drama had thrown all their plans off track. Honestly, today had been anything but relaxing.
Bradley said, “Looks like we’re calling it a day early. Cameron, I want to hit the mall later and pick up some clothes. Want to come with me?”
“Sure.” Cameron didn’t turn him down.
Bradley brought Cameron to a shopping mall filled with high-end brands and polished storefronts. He confidently led the way in his sporty clothes, looking energetic.
Cameron followed in her school uniform. Her small frame and delicate features made her look even younger than usual-like a high school freshman. Together, they looked more like brothers than friends.
The sales associate beamed as they walked in. “Welcome, you two look great. Looking for anything in particular? Who is it for?”
“For me,” Bradley replied.
Cameron dropped into a plush seat in the lounge area. “I’ll wait here, Brad.”
“Alright.” Bradley nodded.
Cameron expected to wait a few minutes, maybe fifteen tops. Instead, an hour crawled by.
She used to go shopping with Milena and their mom all the time. They’d always take their sweet time, and spending two to three hours in a store was totally normal.
But she never expected Bradley to spend a whole hour picking out clothes, and it honestly took her by surprise.
When Bradley finally returned with both hands full of at least ten shopping bags, Cameron was stunned again, thinking, ‘Did he really need to buy that much all at once? Was Brad really that short on clothes?’
Bradley gave her a soft smile. “Thanks for waiting. Let’s go home.”
Back at Noble Vista, Bradley dropped the shopping bags onto the table in a chaotic pile. There were so many that they nearly buried the surface completely.
He casually opened a bag, pulled out a white hoodie, looked it over, and suddenly frowned. “Crap.”
“What’s wrong?” Cameron asked.
“The sales associate gave me the wrong size,” he muttered, holding up the hoodie.
Cameron glanced at the label, and it was an XL. Bradley was six-foot-two, and no way that was going to fit him.
Bradley rummaged through a few more bags, frowning. “They’re all XL. Seriously?”
“Just go exchange them,” Cameron said.
Bradley shrugged. “Too lazy to both
Successfully unlocked!
He stared at Cameron. “You’re so skinny, these should fit you, right? I really don’t want to go back and return them. How about you just wear them for me?”
Cameron wasn’t clueless. She casually flipped through the shopping bags, and there were about eight sets of clothes for spring and three for summer. He’d even bought socks and men’s boxers, all in the wrong sizes.
“Brad, you bought these for me from the start, didn’t you?” Cameron asked.
Bradley grinned. “How’s my taste? Do you like them? If not, we can go exchange them.”
The truth was, Bradley had bought all these clothes just for Cameron. That morning, he’d noticed she was still wearing her school uniform, despite it being the holidays.
He remembered she’d just cut ties with the Wallace family. She was still just a student and probably didn’t have much money. So, he figured he’d buy her a few sets of clothes.
Cameron looked at Bradley’s handsome, smiling face and, for a moment, didn’t know what to say. Her heart felt so, so warm.
Brad treated her too well that she didn’t exactly know how to put his kindness into words.
Seeing Cameron just staring at him in a daze, Bradley patted her on the shoulder. “Go try them on. If they don’t fit, we can exchange them, or just return them and get something else.”
Cameron took a step back. “Brad, thank you, but I really can’t accept this.”
Bradley sighed helplessly. “Cameron, it’s not like these are anything expensive. It’s just a few clothes, so there’s no need to make a fuss.”
Cameron said nothing.
Bradley looked even more exasperated now. “How about this? Next time, you buy me a few? I promise I’ll accept them with an open heart.”
“Brad.” For a moment, Cameron didn’t know what to say. She owed Bradley way too many favors, and she wondered, ‘How am I ever going to pay him back in the future?’
“Alright.” Bradley patted Cameron on the shoulder. “You’re a grown man, so don’t be so wishy-washy. Go try them on. My effort and money would go to waste if you don’t wear them.”
Before Cameron could protest, Bradley had already nudged him toward the master bedroom. He also helped carry over the dozen or so shopping bags.
