Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Gwen was stunning, over forty but looking barely twenty-eight thanks to incredible self-care. When she and Xander walked down the street together, people often mistook them for siblings.
It was easy to see where Xander got his good looks.
Logan, despite being middle-aged, was just as handsome and looked younger than his years. The man had presence. Just sitting there, he commanded respect without saying a word.
“Cam,” Logan nodded at her, “don’t take Xander’s nonsense personally. We spoiled that kid rotten from day one.”
Cameron smiled awkwardly. Having never really experienced Martin or Heidi’s parental love growing up, she had zero clue how to interact with people their age. No matter what she said, it just felt weird.
Thankfully, Xander came downstairs before things got awkward.
He’d thrown on just a t-shirt before coming down. Grabbing an apple from the table, he tossed it to Cameron, then snatched another for himself and took a loud, crunchy bite.
“Aren’t you cold wearing so little?” Gwen touched Xander’s arm with concern. “Mom, can you not be so fussy?” Xander’s face scrunched with annoyanc
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He looked every bit the spoiled kid he was.
You.”
Logan shot Xander a mock-angry glare. “Your mou “I’m an adult. Don’t need it.” Xander bit into his apple with unnecessary force.
“I think someone’s asking for trouble,” Logan said, his expression darkening. Xander frowned, “Come on, Dad. My classmate’s right here. Can’t you give me a break?”
Logan just stared at him, speechless
Xander stood up and tugged at Cameron’s sleeve. Alright, punk, let’s go upstairs to the study. Time for the tutoring
Cameron got up without a word, clutching the apple as she followed X?nder upstairs.
At the top of the starcase, Xander called down between bites, “Dad, drop three million dollars in my account. I need it for tutoring. This little punk charges a fortune”
Cameron could only stand there, completely dumbfounded.
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“Fine, I’ll transfer the money to you later,” Gwen said with a laugh as Xander and Cameron headed upstairs.
Once they were gone, Gwen turned to Logan with a smile. “Our son has finally made a decent friend. Those losers he used to hang out with were such bad news.”
Logan nodded. “Cam seems like a good kid.”
Meanwhile, Cameron followed Xander into the study.
The Murphy Manor’s study was massive, with well over a thousand square feet with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves packed with every kind of book imaginable. It was basically a mini library.
Xander strolled in and immediately sprawled across the leather couch like he owned the place, feet up, munching on an apple like some kind of pampered prince.
“Sit properly,” Cameron frowned.
Xander glanced at her, and to her surprise, actually dropped his feet and straightened up.
Cameron settled into the armchair next to him, placing her apple in the fruit bowl. “Which subject do you want to start with?”
“Whatever.” Xander shrugged.
“Whatever’ isn’t a subject,” Cameron said flatly.
Xander tossed his apple core into the trash can. “Let’s go with English Literature.”
“English Lit doesn’t need tutoring,” Cameron said. “Just spend more time memorizing and you’ll be fine. Anyone who can write can pass that class.”
“Are you saying I can’t write?” Xander raised an eyebrow.
Cameron just stared at him.
“What about Spanish then?” Xander asked, wiping his hands.
Cameron nodded. “Show me your textbook.”
“Don’t have it.” Xander shrugged.
“How am I supposed to tutor you without a book?”
Xander looked at her like the answer was obvious. “Who brings textbooks home during break? Aren’t we tortured with them enough at school?”
Cameron rolled her eyes.
“Look,” Xander said, noting her exasperation, “just give me whatever help you can. I’ll pay you either way.”
“I’m here to work, not rob you,” Cameron replied flatly.
Now it was Xander’s turn to be speechless. He scratched his head. “So how do you want to do this?”
“Go grab a laptop,” Cameron said.
“Fine.” Xander stood up.
That was when he noticed Gwen standing in the doorway. She’d been there for a while, holding a tray with two coffees and a fancy-looking dessert.
“Thought you two might need something to drink,” Gwen said with a warm smile.
“Thanks, Mom,” Xander said, taking the tray. “You should go relax.”
Gwen peeked into the room, her eyes softening as she looked at Cameron. “Alright, I’ll let you two work.”
Gwen headed downstairs, practically dragging Logan by the arm when she found him. “Babe, you should’ve seen it. You have no idea how much Xander listens to Cam. I swear, Cam has more authority with him than either of us.”
“Seriously?” Logan couldn’t believe it. Xander was such a rebellious kid, always doing the exact opposite of what Logan told him.
Gwen nodded eagerly. “Dead serious.”
Logan drummed his fingers on the armrest, wheels turning in his head.
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Meanwhile, Xander handed Cameron his laptop. She pulled up his last Spanish practice exam and slid it in front of him. “Do this.”
Xander groaned, rubbing his face. “I don’t know how.” He absolutely hated homework, especially Spanish.
“Do it,” Cameron said flatly.
Left with no choice, Xander basically gave up before starting. He randomly picked answers for the multiple choice and left everything else blank.
Cameron stared at the disaster of a Spanish test, almost all of it wrong. She fixed Xander with an incredulous look. “Haven’t your parents hired you a Spanish tutor?”
‘How could anyone possibly get it this wrong?’ Cameron wondered.
Xander shrugged. “Yeah, they did. I drove them all away.”
Cameron was completely speechless.
“Let’s get started,” Xander said, randomly pointing at a multiple-choice question. “How do I solve this one?”
Cameron tapped the question with her finger. “First, let’s look at what it’s asking. Do you understand what this means?”
Xander just stared blankly and shook his head. “Nope.”
Cameron couldn’t believe it.
“So you literally don’t understand any of it?” Cameron asked, finally finding her voice.
Only now did Cameron realize how good she’d had it tutoring a genius like Elijah. With him, she only needed to point out one or two things before he’d connect all the dots himself. By comparison, Xander seemed like a total idiot.
“What’s with that look?” Xander frowned, “You said 150 grand per question, right? That’s not exactly easy money. The three million dollars I’m about to get will only cover 20 questions at that rate.”
He lifted his chin defiantly. “Listen, punk. I don’t understand any of this, so you need to explain it step by step until I get it. That’s the only way this counts.”
“You seriously think I’m charging you 150 thousand dollars per question?” Cameron asked incredulously. “What am I, a bank robber?”
Xander shot her a surprised look. “Wait, you’re tutoring me for free?”
“It’s still daytime and you’re already dreaming,” Cameron said, barely restraining an eye-roll.
“Then what do you mean?” Xander glared at her.
“Thirty grand an hour,” Cameron stated.
