Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
“Hey, cuzzie. I’m Helen, and we meet again,” Helen ran up, a little out of breath, and greeted Cameron.
Cameron nodded. “Hi Helen. I’m Cameron Wallace.”
Levi gently corrected her, “It’s Cameron Yates.”
“Cameron Yates,” Cameron repeated.
Jacqueline smiled and ruffled Cameron’s hair. “Cam, you’re such a good boy.”
It was rare to see a boy this calm and respectful. Neither Lance nor Gavin had ever been this easy to manage.
Cameron glanced at Jacqueline. The word “Mom” hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it back down.
Helen grinned. “Aunt Jacqueline, Cam isn’t just well-behaved, he’s seriously handsome too. He looks straight out of a movie.”
Jacqueline lit up at the compliment. “Helly, you really know how to make someone’s day.”
Helen grinned at Cameron. “Aunt Jacqueline, I’m just stating the facts.”
Levi nodded. “She’s right.”
After all, his son was definitely good-looking.
They slowly made their way into the main hall. Jacqueline pulled Cameron down beside her on the couch, and the two slipped right into conversation, like they’d known each other for years.
Levi, Lance, and Helen sat mearby, occasionally chiming in. The whole room felt cozy, light, and full of life. That was, until Gavin walked in.
Gavin walked in wearing a light blue button-down, black slacks, and handcrafted leather shoes.
At 25 years old, he had a mature, commanding presence. Something about him made people sit up straighter, instinctively cautious, like a single glance from him could pin one to the spot.
The moment he stepped into the room, his eyes landed on Helen, lounging on the couch.
His expression, cool and unreadable just seconds before, instantly melted into a soft smile. “Helly, when did you get back?”
“Gavin!” Helen’s face lit up when she saw him. She jumped to her feet, ran over, and looped her arm through his. “You’re back.”
Gavin smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I just got back from a business trip. If I’d known you were home, I would’ve brought you a gift.”
Helen grinned. “It’s fine, Gavin. You always bring me something when you travel. Honestly, I’m just happy you’re back, with or without a gift.”
“You really are the sweetest,” Gavin said, ruffling her hair. Anyone who didn’t know better would probably think they were siblings.
Gavin doted on Helen just like she was his little sister, after all. Growing up, he used to envy kids who had little sisters. And now that he didn’t have a real one, his cousin would do just fine.
“Gavin, you’re back. Come over and see who’s here,” Jacqueline called out happily.
Gavin glanced over at his mom. There stood Cameron, who was looking at Gavin and greeting him politely. “Gavin.”
He was tall, maybe 6’2″, with a straight posture and sharply defined features. Clearly, the Yates family had hit the genetic jackpot.
Gavin’s gaze landed on Cameron. She was dressed simply in a white tee and a pair of light blue jeans. But her features were soft, striking, and almost delicate. She looked so good that she almost seemed ethereal.
She really did resemble Lance. But that was where the similarity stopped. Where Lance came off cold and distant, Cameron had an easy, clean-cut energy that was fresh and youthful.
Gavin hadn’t expected Cameron to return home today after just agreeing to meet up yesterday.
He thought, ‘Didn’t he say before that he wasn’t coming back? Was it because he didn’t know our family was loaded, so he didn’t want to come? And now that he knows, he’s suddenly willing to come back?’
Gavin already had issues with Cameron, and seeing him now just annoyed him even more. So, he responded. “Hey.”
But with both his parents around, Gavin soon nodded at Cameron and said, “Welcome home.”
After that, he turned to Helen. “Helly, where have you been hanging out lately? You look like you’ve gained some pounds.”
“No way. Gavin, don’t lie to me. I didn’t gain any weight.” Helen got all nervous. Gaining weight was one of the things girls feared the most.
Gavin ruffled her hair again. “I’m just messing with you. Look how freaked out you are.”
“Gavin…” Helen tugged at his arm.
Off to the side, Lance was watching. He noticed Gavin barely glanced at Cameron and he pressed his lips into a thin line.
He thought, ‘Gavin is seriously out of line. Cam is our little brother, and we finally brought him home after 18 years. But this is how he acts?’
But with their parents and Cameron all here, Lance couldn’t say anything.
“Gavin.” Even Levi couldn’t take it anymore. “Come here.”
Gavin didn’t dare push back against his dad. He let the smile fall from his face and walked to Cameron.
Expressionlessly, he held out his hand. “Welcome back.”
Cameron didn’t take it. She could feel how empty the gesture was, so she just gave a polite nod. “Thanks.”
She had always been good at reading people and didn’t need much to figure someone out. It was obvious Gavin didn’t like her, and Cameron wasn’t the type to force niceties with someone who clearly didn’t want her there.
Gavin’s hand hovered in the air for an awkward second before he let it drop and gave a tight-lipped smile. He scoffed in his mind, ‘I see he’s got a temper.
The room fell into silence, and it suddenly felt a little awkward.
Lance’s expression turned solemn. He didn’t say anything, but the frustration in his eyes said plenty.
Gavin had crossed a line, and honestly, no one could blame Cameron for refusing to shake his hand.
Jacqueline hadn’t imagined their first meeting would go like this. Gavin was her oldest son, and seven years older than Cameron.
He was supposed to be the example, the one leading with grace. But right now, he was anything but that.
Still, with Cameron standing right there, she kept her thoughts to herself. The last thing she wanted was to make the moment worse or make Cameron feel more uncomfortable.
Levi didn’t look any happier. He could see right through Gavin’s passive-aggressive act, and it made his blood boil. But for Cameron’s sake, he bit back the urge to go off.
Instead, he turned to Helen. “Sweetheart, why don’t you head home? The rest of us need to have a talk.”
“Okay, Uncle Levi.” Helen could tell things were getting tense, so she quickly got away, taking off like a shot.
Levi looked at Gavin. “Gavin, come outside for a minute.” With that, he left the living room and headed out to the courtyard, with Gavin following behind him.
It was peak summer, and the heat hung heavy in the air. Both of them were dressed formally, which only made the atmosphere more suffocating
Levi’s face was tense, the air between them thick with pressure.
Gavin stood in front of him, tense without even realizing it. It was a knee-jerk reaction he’d had since he was a kid.
In the Yates family, his word was final. Aside from Jacqueline, who could sometimes talk him down, no one else had a say in front of him.
Levi cut straight to the point sternly, his voice lacking the warmth he had when speaking to Cameron. “Did you skip meeting Cam on purpose yesterday?”
Gavin didn’t answer right away because Levi had seen right through him. And since Levi had discovered the truth, there was no point in denying it now
Gavin said, “Dad, you guys put him on too high a pedestal.”
“Put him on a pedestal?” Levi’s face got even more grim. “Gavin, is this how a big brother should act? Do you have any idea how much our family owes Cam after all these years?”
Gavin said, “I know, but we tried to bring him back for so long, and he turned us down.”
“So what if he turned you down? He’s still just a kid. What’s the big deal?” Levi questioned.
Gavin clenched his jaw. He thought, ‘A kid? Come on, he’s 18, and he’s already an adult.
Gavin remembered that when he turned 18, Levi made it clear that he was now an adult responsible for his own life. So, the Yates family wouldn’t pay for anything besides tuition and basic living expenses for him.
But when it came to Camer?n, Levi couldn’t understand how she could still be treated as a kid.
Levi said seriously, “Gavin, remember you’re their big brother, so act like one. You have so much to learn from Lance. See how he’s treating Cam.”
Gavin didn’t respond, but his silence said more than enough.
After lecturing Gavin, Levi went back to the living room. He looked at Cameron with a smile. “Cam, are you hungry? Dinner should be ready by now.”
Cameron smiled back. “I’m okay.”
Lance stood up. “I’ll go check on the kitchen.”
To welcome Cameron back home, Jacqueline had the kitchen whip up a huge feast.
She’d actually planned to cook everything herself, but she just couldn’t bear to leave Cameron’s side, not even for a second.
