Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Bradley carefully wrapped the bike in a protective cover before storing it in the utility room, only answering the call seconds before it would have gone to voicemail.
“Brad, who gave you that mountain bike?” Xander asked immediately.
Bradley sank into his leather couch with a smirk. “Take a guess.”
“How am I supposed to know?” Xander sighed.
“Is that really why you called?” Bradley laughed.
“Well.” Xander hesitated, sounding awkward. “I actually wanted to know if that little punk is still hanging out with you tomorrow.”
Xander had moved out of Room 316 and gotten quite the lecture from Tiana.
That was when Xander had learned Cameron was secretly an academic prodigy. William had been protecting him all this time so he could claim the top SAT score in the state this year.
Xander never thought Cameron would be that impressive. ‘I really need to move back into 316,’ he thought. ‘As long as Cameron’s cool with it, it should work.’
“I’m not sure about that,” Bradley replied vaguely.
“What do you mean, ‘not sure’?” Xander pressed. “Have you even talked to Cameron about it?”
“No,” Bradley said.
Disappointment flickered across Xander’s face. “Well, do you at least know where Cameron’s heading tomorrow?”
“No idea.” Bradley shrugged.
Xander wanted to bang his head against the well ‘Now this is the definition of a pointless conversation, he thought.
Successfully unlocked!
Cameron walked alone along the riverbank, hands tucked into her jacket pockets.
The evening breeze had drawn quite a crowd. Despite the late hour, the riverside path bustled with activity.
Cameron had barely covered a mile or two when she heard panicked shouts ahead. “Someone jumped in! Help! Can anyone swim? Someone needs to help them!”
Cameron glanced toward the commotion and spotted a crowd gathering at the railing. Looking down, she could make out a dark figure thrashing in the water about a hundred feet below.
The night was too dark to tell if it was a man or woman.
Cameron waited half a second, watching for someone to jump in. When no one moved, she vaulted over the railing and plunged into the river with a splash.
The moment Cameron hit the water, her body instinctively recoiled from the shock. Despite being spring, the river was still freezing cold.
Nearby, a middle-aged man was desperately crying out for help.
He had jumped in himself, but as the icy river water rose over his nose and mouth, survival instinct kicked in and he began frantically shouting, “Help! Please, help me!”
Cameron swam over and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the riverbank. She was in good shape, and even in water, dragging a man who weighed around 150 pounds wasn’t particularly challenging for her.
She was in good shape-hauling a 150-pound man through the water wasn’t much trouble for her.
A crowd had already gathered at the shore.
Cameron pushed the man to the edge where several people immediately reached down, hands everywhere as they hauled him onto dry land.
Everyone crowded around the man who’d jumped in.
Cameron was about to leave when someone called out, “He’s passed out. We need to get him to a hospital!”
“Let me see, Cameron said, pushing through the crowd.
She knelt beside him in the darkness. The middle-aged man’s face was ghostly pale. He had strong, dignified features with thick eyebrows and the kind of face that instantly projected integrity.
Cameron pressed down hard on his chest, performing emergency CPR until he coughed up all the water from his lungs. The man coughed violently, and his eyes fluttered open. He stared at Cameron, his voice raspy. “Was it…you who saved me?” Cameron said nothing. She simply stood up and walked away. She’d barely made it fifteen yards when a loud splash broke the silence., Splash.
Another sound of someone falling into the water.
“Oh no! He jumped in again! He really jumped in again!”
“This guy really wants to die, doesn’t he?” Another shook his head with a sigh.
“Why is he so desperate? He’s still so young. It’s better alive than dead.”
Cameron froze, glancing down at her soaked school uniform. Water dripped from her hair onto her delicate face.
Her hair was soaked too, water trickling down her pale, delicate cheeks.
“Hey, kid!” an elderly man called out to her. “That guy you just saved jumped back in. Hurry up and help him again.” Cameron’s expression darkened. After a moment of silence, she walked to the riverbank and dove back into the water. This time, she didn’t immediately grab the middle-aged man. Instead, she floated coldly beside him, watching as he bobbed up and down in the water.
The man gulped down mouthful after mouthful of river water, struggling to stay afloat.
The middle-aged man swallowed a ton of river water.
“What are you waiting for, kid? Save him!” a woman shouted from the shore.
Cameron didn’t do anything about it.
The man was struggling underwater, making gurgling sounds as he fought to surface.
“If you really want to die, why fight it?” Cameron said coldly, watching him thrash. “Just sink to the bottom. Can’t do it yourself? Let me help you.”
With a blank face, Cameron pressed her hand against the middle-aged man’s head and shoved him underwater. The man flailed wildly, desperately trying to push her away, but he was no match for her strength.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing?” people on the shore yelled. “That’s murder! You’ll go to jail for that.”
Cameron ignored them, her expression still emotionless as she held the man beneath the surface. Just before he would have drowned, she released her grip, allowing him to break through to the air.
Successfully unlocked!
Right before he was about to drown, she finally let go, letting him come up for air.
He erupted into violent coughing, water spewing from his mouth and nose.
Cameron grabbed him by the collar and swam with him to the opposite shore where no one else could see them. She hauled him onto the bank and dumped him on the ground. “Still want to die?” she asked.
The “young man” crouched beside him, soaking wet, her voice as sharp and cold as shards of ice.
The man couldn’t stop coughing. He sat up and stared at the young man in front of him. Despite his beautiful features, those eyes were sharp as knives. He instinctively backed away, fear written all over his face.
“Scared of me now?” The corner of Cameron’s mouth quirked up in the faintest hint of a smile.
“You just tried to drown me, the middle-aged man sputtered, still backing away.
Cameron crouched on the ground, fixing him with a cold stare. I don’t care if you want to jump into the river to kill yourself. That was your business. But when I save you and you try to jump back in? That’s where you crossed the line.”
Cameron’s face darkened. “You wasted my hard work, didn’t you?”
The man was speechless.
“If you’re still set on dying, I can help you finish the job,” Cameron said. “You still want to die?
Again, the man couldn’t find his words as he continued to edge backward.
“You’re a grown man who wasn’t afraid of death.” Cameron pointed out. “So what are you so scared of now?”
The man didn’t answer. He just let the pain show plainly on his face.
Cameron brushed the wet strands of hair from her forehead and sat down on a rock. “Go ahead and talk. I’ve got time to be your emotional garbage can for a while.”
The middle-aged man glanced at Cameron. Maybe he’d been holding it in for too long. Or maybe it was easier to open up to a complete stranger, someone he’d never recognize if they passed on the street.
Whatever the reason, he decided it might be worth telling his story.
“I’m David Tucker. I’m thirty-six and I’m a doctor,” he said.
“A doctor?” Cameron couldn’t help but smirk.
David nodded. He wasn’t exactly handsome, but his features were pleasant enough, giving him a somewhat approachable look.
“So young with a job everyone respects and a bright future ahead,” Cameron said. “Why would you want to end it all?” David gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. “I grew up in an orphanage after losing both my parents as a kid. I finally made it through school and found my dream job. Then, I married my girlfriend of three years and we had a child together.” He sighed, “But a few years into our marriage, she cheated on me with some guy who had way more money than I do.” David looked up at the sky. “Today I got my divorce papers. My ex-wife took our daughter with her. I’ve got nothing left. What’s the point of living anymore?”
Cameron’s face remained expressionless. “So you lost your parents, got divorced, and got cheated on, and that makes you want to die? Do you have any idea how many people have it worse than you do?”
David looked at Cameron’s young, handsome face and shook his head. “You’re just a kid. You don’t understand.”
“Yeah, I’m younger than you,” Cameron said. “But have you even thought about what happens after you’re gone? Your ex- wife gets to live her life however she wants, but what about your precious daughter? What if her stepfather treats her badly?” “He wouldn’t dare,” David said, clenching his fists.
