Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
The Horizon students kept chanting “Cyrus!” over and over. Plus, the guy was actually good-looking too.
Elijah had a gut feeling this one would be tough to deal with.
“Don’t you think we’re pretty strong too?” Cameron smiled beside him.
To be fair, even though Xander could be a total pain sometimes, he was actually damn good at basketball.
Elijah said nothing for a moment, then just gave a slight nod: Of course he wanted Langford Academy to win, but their opponents weren’t to be underestimated. Successfully unlocked!
Both principals took the stage to give their speeches, Clay this was endly match where friendship came first, competition second. But the moment they stepped off, students from both schools started screaming that their school would crush the other.
The principals exchanged awkward but polite smiles.
Skyler was sitting next to Amelia, while Bradley sat two seats away from Amelia on her other side. “Isn’t Cameron super annoying? Why is he always glued to Elijah? Is he some kind of freak or what?” Skyler said.
Amelia kept her composure. Though she desperately wanted to check what Bradley was doing, her self-control stopped her from looking.
At least they were in the same class. They’d be old classmates someday when they talked about it.
Skyler, on the other hand, didn’t know the meaning of self-restraint. The minute she sat down, she started scanning the crowd for Elijah.
After searching for ages, Skyler finally spotted him with Cameron right by his side.
The sight of Cameron instantly pissed her off. Elijah had actually threatened to end his family’s partnership with the Young family because of Cameron. That had scared her into backing off completely.
That was why Skyler complained loudly without hesitation.
“They’re classmates and roommates,” Amelia said flatly. “They’re both guys. Isn’t it normal for them to sit together?”
Skyler scoffed, “Normal? Please. Cameron’s just a freak.”
Amelia frowned, “You’re always glued to me too. Does that make you a freak as well?”
Skyler’s jaw dropped. “Amelia,” she gasped, eyes wide with shock. “Why are you taking Cameron’s side? When did this start?”
“I’m not taking sides,” Amelia replied. “I’m just stating facts.”
“Yeah, right,” Skyler scoffed. “I think Cameron’s just shameless. Now that his engagement with you is off, he’s sucking up to Elijah because of his prestigious background.”
“Could you shut up?” A deep male voice cut through their conversation like a knife.
The anger in his tone was unmistakable, even before they turned to see his face. Amelia and Skyler spun around in surprise to find Bradley glaring at them, his expression dark.
Bradley’s ice-cold stare made Skyler physically recoil, her neck jerking back as fear crawled up her spine. “Bradley,” she stammered, “are you talking to me?”
“If I hear one more word from your mouth trashing Cameron,” Bradley said evenly, “would you like to find out what happens next?”
Bradley was genuinely furious. Skyler had been talking so loudly, and since he was sitting nearby, he’d heard everything crystal clear.
‘Cameron, sucking up to Elijah?’ Bradley thought. ‘Ridiculous. Cameron’s someone who tries to repay even the smallest kindness. How dare she use such a disgusting phrase to describe him?’
Skyler was speechless. Amelia’s mouth hung open. The students around them stared in stunned silence.
That was a straight-up threat. No one had expected the typically polite and gentle Bradley to have such a sharp edge or that he’d be so protective of Cameron.
For years, Cameron’s reputation at school had been terrible. “Sissy,” “pretty boy,” “bootlicker”-these were the labels that followed him everywhere.
They couldn’t understand why someone like Bradley, the campus heartthrob with his own fan club, would step up to defend Cameron.
Several of Bradley’s admirers shot Skyler dirty looks.
“She’s the one who follows Amelia around like a puppy, and she has the nerve to talk about someone else?” one scoffed. “Right? She should really check herself before opening her mouth.”
“She’s the most disgusting type of person.”
Skyler was speechless. ‘What did I do to her? I used to trash-talk Cameron all the time, didn’t I? We all used to talk snit about Cameron together. So why is everyone coming after me now?’ she thought.
While they were arguing, the basketball game had officially begun on the court.
Six minutes into the fierce battle between the teams, the Langford Academy students let out a collective gasp. “Woah!” Xander had just sunk a shot from inside the three-point line, scoring two points.
When the scoreboard changed to show Langford Academy at 2 and Horizon Academy still at 0, the Langford students went wild.
“Xander! Xander!” Their chants filled the gym.
Across the court, the Horizon Academy students just rolled their eyes. ‘It’s way too early to celebrate, they thought. ‘What’s there to get so hyped about?’
Both principals watched from the sidelines, seated together in prime viewing positions. “The kids are so full of energy, aren’ t they, Mr. Barkley?” William said with a smile.
Charles Barkley, Horizon Academy’s principal, forced a tight smile. “Yes, Mr. Drake, you’re right about that.”
The game went on.
Soon after, a tall guy from the opposing team-Cyrus-nailed a three-pointer.
“Ah!” The Horizon Academy students leapt to their feet.
“Cyrus is such a beast!”
“Cyrus, you’re amazing!”
“Go Horizon! Horizon for the win!”
Charles turned to William with a smug smile. “Look how excited they are. Seeing them so full of youth takes me back to my day.”
William shrugged. “We all had those days. Nothing special about it.”
Charles just chuckled.
On the court, Tyrell looked apologetic. “Sorry, Xan. I couldn’t block him.”
Xander shook his head, unfazed. “We just started. Don’t care about that. Let’s keep going.”
“Alright, let’s go!” Tyrell shouted.
The team still seemed confident. After all, they were only down by one point.
Soon enough, the first 10-minute quarter ended, and everyone took a breather. Xander and his four teammates huddled together.
Sweat dripped from Xander’s forehead as he lifted his jersey to wipe it away, revealing his perfect abs.
“That Cyrus on their team? We’ve never seen him before,” Xander said. “He looks strong. Tyrell, just focus on blocking him.” Tyrell frowned. “Xan, he’s huge, almost six-three. I…”
Tyrell’s ribs were still aching from when Cyrus had collided with him earlier.
“If you can’t handle it, get out,” Xander snapped. “We’ll put in a sub.”
“I can do it, Xan,” Tyrell said through gritted teeth.
Meanwhile, the Horizon Academy players were strategizing as well. Cyrus Mendes threw his arms around his teammates’ shoulders.
“Xander’s the only real threat on their team,” he said. “I couldn’t care less about the others. If we focus on shutting him down, this game is ours.”
“Let’s go!” They all put their hands in the center, shouting encouragement with fierce determination.
The referee returned to the court and announced that the game would continue.
Cameron stood watching with folded arms, her gaze settling on Cyrus’ face with a half-smile. “I bet they’re go Xander.”
“Do we have a chance?” Elijah asked with a frown.
*o target
Cameron smiled, “You want to win?”
“Of course,” Elijah replied. “We have to win.” Th
Successfully unlocked! ne line.
Cameron glanced toward where William was sitting. He didn’t look happy.
Horizon Academy had just scored another two points by Cyrus again. Now they were up by three over Langford Academy.
If things continued like this, it wasn’t looking good. of
Cameron really did have a sudden stomach pain. She went to the bathroom, but as soon as she squatted down, the pain vanished.
Cameron rubbed her stomach and left the stall. As she stepped out, she overheard some Horizon Academy students talking.
