Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
The sweet, smooth drink hit her mouth, and she smiled without thinking.
Her phone buzzed. Xander had sent the 20 dollars back.
Cameron was speechless. As she sipped the milkshake, she tried sending the money again.
Xander: [Cameron, why are you being so stubborn? It’s just 20 dollars. Stop sending it back!]
Cameron opened the fruit salad, speared a piece of watermelon with her fork, and popped it into her mouth while typing (i don trend earning them.]
Xander: [Why not? You spent so much time tutoring me. This milkshake is the least I can do.]
Cameron: [Tutoring? You already paid me for that.]
Xander: [What you did for me means more than money.]
Cameron took a bite of cake and kept typing: [Stop making excuses and take the money.)
Xander: [it’s late. I’m going to sleep. Bye.]
Cameron was speechless. She suddenly felt like the cake was stuck in her throat.
She frowned and typed: [Xander, if you don’t take the money, I’ll block you.]
Speechless, Xander scowled as he replied: [Cameron, can’t you try something new?]
She was always using those petty little threats like blocking.
Cameron: [No.]
She added: [Take the money. You have 10 seconds to decide. After that, you’re blocked.]
The second she sent the message, the system showed he’d accepted the payment.
Cameron smirked. “So Xander’s scared of being blocked?”
Xander: [Cameron, you’re such a dork!]
He thought, ‘That word “dork” might as well have been made for her.’
She ignored it, set down her phone, and alternated between sipping, the milkshake and enjoying forkfuls of fruit and cake.
This post-dinner dessert was perfect. Fully satisfied, Cameron leaned back on the couch.
At that moment, the world felt great. Sweets really did have a way of making people happy.
The next day, Cameron woke up at 7 a.m.
After getting ready, she messaged Elijah: [Up yet? Time to leave.]
He replied instantly: [I’m outside your door.]
Cameron was stunned, wondering, ‘Outside my door?’
She hurried to open it. Sure enough, Elijah was standing there.
Cameron asked, “When did you get here? Why didn’t you knock?”
Elijah held up the breakfast in his hand. “I was afraid you weren’t awake yet.”
“I don’t usually sleep in,” Cameron said.
Elijah set the Breakfast on the dining table. “You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”
Not yet. She’d planned to eat at the office, but having it at home first was fine too.
Elijah glanced at the milkshake carton in the trash but didn’t comment. He’d bought toast and coffee for two.
As she ate the toast. Cameron asked, “Did you go out to buy this?”
Elijah nodded. “Yeah.”
“Next time, don’t worry about it. We can just eat at the office,” she said.
Elijah paused, then nodded. “Okay.”
After breakfast, they rode shared bikes to work together.
It was the morning rush hour, and the roads were packed. But Cameron and Elijah cycled one behind the other, moving smoothly through the traffic. The June weather made biking more pleasant than driving.
Elijah followed behind, watching Cameron ahead.
The morning sun turned Cameron’s short hair a soft golden hue. Though thin, she didn’t look weak-she looked energetic.
Up ahead, a red light stopped Cameron. Elijah was so focused on her back that he accidentally collided with her.
Cameron was stunned. Her bike slid 20 inches forward. She turned to look at Elijah. “Elijah, it’s a red light.”
Snapping back to reality, Elijah saw his bike’s front end bumping into Cameron’s rear. He quickly apologized, “Sorry, I spaced out. Are you okay, Cameron?”
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Cameron replied, “I’m okay, but spacing out while biking is too risky. Maybe we should ditch the bikes and take a taxi instead?”
Elijah said, “It’s fine. Let’s just ride.” He wasn’t sure why he’d gotten so fixated on Cameron’s back earlier. In all his life, he had never been so absentminded.
Cameren stared at him. “Are you really sure you’re good?”
“Positive,” Elijah said.
Just then, the light turned green.
“Alright, let’s ride side by side,” Cameron said.
“Okay.”
So they cycled next to each other in the bike lane.
Cameron looked at the sunrise glow in the sky. “It’s going to be a hot one today. The sun’s already blazing.”
“Summer’s like that,” Elijah replied.
She glanced at him. Seeing he was focused now, she fell silent and kept pedaling.
The ride from Noble Vista to the office was a medium distance-took them over half an hour to reach.
At the office, Cameron went straight to the general manager’s office, with Elijah trailing behind.
“Cameron, what can I do to help out?” Elijah asked.
“Give me a sec. I’ll check with HR about open positions,” Cameron said.
Elijah nodded. “Sure, I’ll do whatever’s needed.”
Cameron smiled, “Elijah, it might get tough. Just be prepared.”
This was real work, not a playdate-every role had duties that could be tiring.
“I’ll be okay,” Elijah said, thinking, ‘Anything is better than sitting at home alone, zoning out.’
Eventually, Elijah was assigned to the Product Department, helping package pharmaceuticals. It wasn’t physically hard, but it was tedious.
“Elijah, if you ever want to quit, just tell me. Also, how does 200 dollars a day sound for pay?” Cameron was offering him full-time employee wages.
He nodded. “Good.” He wasn’t there for the money anyway.
Cameron then turned Elijah over to the relevant supervisor. She made her way to the pharmaceutical R&D department.
As a young “guy” with a youthful face, Cameron didn’t get much notice from the R&D experts at first. But when David called her “Mr. Wallace,” the team, though confused, still treated her fairly.
Cameron didn’t do anything except observe how they worked.
Cameron and Elijah worked in different areas, so they didn’t see each other all day.
Work ended at 6 p.m.
Cameron messaged Elijah (Elijah, want to eat in the cafeteria before heading back?)
The company provided three meals a day, and for employees who worked overtime, it also offered late-night snacks and covered band fares
