Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Austin tried calling Cameron, but his phone was switched off.
Is he avoiding me? Using this as a way to reject me?” Austin thought with a sinking feeling. “I just wanted to play him a song was my playing that bad?”
Austin glanced at the packed audience below. Despite not feeling it, he forced himself to perform two places. Just as he was about to start the third, his phone lit up on the piano.
While playing, Austin’s eyes darted toward his silenced phone, hope flaring in his chest. But when he saw Elijah’s name on the instantly dimmed. He ignored the call. Even when the call ended automatically and Elijah tried several more times, Austin still didn’t pick up e screen, that spark
Only after finishing the piece did Austin finally stand, grab his phone and call Elijah back
Elijah was practically frantic. Before Austin could say a word, he blurted out, “Austin, is Cameron with you?”
Austin froze. “No. Eli, y you and Cam were supposed to come hear me play. Wh
What happened?”
“Cameron’s missing.” Elijah said. “He left right when evening study hall started. His phone’s off, and we can’t find him anywhere.”
The news hit Austin like a punch to the gut. Cam wasn’t deliberately standing him up-something was wrong. A creeping worry began to spread through his chest.
Austin bolted toward the door of the music room, forgetting even his textbooks on top of the piano. “Eli, where are you right now?” he asked, breathless from running.
“The dorm,” Elijah replied.
“I’m heading back now,”
Austin said, already sprinting across campus.
Halfway back to the dorm, Austin decided to call Xander. Maybe, just maybe, Cam was with him.
“What’s up?” Xander answered, drenched in sweat on the basketball court. He casually lifted his shirt to wipe his face, revealing his chiseled abs and triggering excited squeals from the girls watching from the sidelines.
Xan, is Cam with you?” Austin asked, his voice tight with worry
“Nope,” Xander replied.
“Do you know where he might be?”
“How would I know?”
Austin swallowed hard, “Xan, Cam’s missing. Eli says he’s been gone the entire evening.”
Xander’s tone immediately changed, all the casualness dropping away. “Cameron’s missing? When are you guyst
“I’m heading back to the dorm now.”
“I can’t get in there,” Xander snapped, frustration clear in his voice.
Austin let out an exasperated sigh.
“Xan, I gotta go. I’m almost at the form,” Austin said, picking up his pace.
“Hold up-” kander tried to get more details, but Austin had already hung up
“Damn ill” Xander nearly threw his phone across the court. “Where did that little punk go? What something happened to him? he thought
The only reason Xander had felt comfortable enough to play basketball was that he thought Cameron was safe at school. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have let Cameron out of his sight except for classes.
A thought struck him like lightning ‘Samuell Xander thought. It has to be Samuel!
Xander inmediately called Austin back. “Austin, your brother Samuel is behind this, fn’t he? Send me his number. Now”
Austin froze, the suggestion hitting him like a bucket of ice water. “Samuel he thought. Yeah, it has to be Samuel!
Cam had been missing for three hours now, Samuel really is behind this Austin’s expression darkened as he thought. “They’s a complete ptycha?
Austin quickly sent the number to Xander and begged, “Xan, please help Cam. Samuel is absolutely insaned
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Xander replied, ending the call immediately to dial Samuel instead.
“Who’s this?” Samuel answered, stretched out on his hospital bed and ready to sleep. His broken ribs needed plenty of time to heal.
Xander cut to the chase. “Samuel, did you take Cameron? Where is he? I swear if you’ve hurt him-
Samuel frowned at Xander’s angry tone. “Who the hell is this?”
“Does it matter who I am? I’m asking about Cameron.”
Samuel snorted, “How the hell am I supposed to know where Cameron is?”
“So Cameron wasn’t taken by you?” Xander demanded,
“I don’t have time for that punk,” Samuel scoffed.
Samuel had already been burned twice by Cameron. He might be ruthless, but he wasn’t stupid. Twice was enough. There wouldn’t be a third time. He wasn’t about to confront Cameron directly again.
Instead, Samuel had sent people to stir up trouble with the Wallace family. Now that Cameron was missing, it had to be the Wallaces who’d gone after him.
Samuel’s eyes narrowed with satisfaction. His plan to watch his enemies destroy each other was working perfectly.
“It better not be you, or I swear you’ll regret it.” Xander threatened before hanging up. He sprinted toward the boys’ dorm, moving so last that the dorm manager only caught a blur rushing past
Meanwhile, Austin burst into Room 316. Bradley was already back.
“Brad, did you find anything?” Elijah asked anxiously.
“I checked the security footage. Cameron was taken by his parents and sister, Bradley reported.
“Not Samuel?” Austin let out a massive sigh of relict. If Cam had fallen into Samuel’s hands, that would’ve been a disaster. Thank goodness it wasn’t him,’ he thought.
“But why would Cam’s parents and sist lake him? Didn’t they cut ties ready?’ Austin wondered.
“So it was his parents after all,” Elijah said. “What the hell do they want? We need to go to Wallace Villa raht now.
Bradley frowned. “Wallace Villa is literally rubble now.” Nobody knew where Martin and Heidi were staying,
Elijah was speechless. Tubble? When did that happen? he thought.
Just then, Xander came charging into the room.
“Xander?” Bradley raised an eyebrow at his sudilen entrance.
“It wasn’t Samuel who took Cameron, Xander said, catching his breath. “I just called to confirm,
A guy like Samuel was too arrogant to bother lying about something like this.
Austin nodded, “Xan, we already know. It wasn’t Samuel. Cam’s parents took him.”
Xander froze. “His parents?”
Everyone knew Cam’s relationship with his family was terrible. They couldn’t understand what they would want with him.
Elijah’s face was etched with worry. “Brad, what do we do now?”
Bradley was concerned about Cameron too, but he managed to stay level headed. “To find your ear and get Camer you can reach them,” Bradley aid.
Elijah nodded. “On it.”
Bradley turned to Kander. “You’re pretty light with Cameron’s sister, right? Call her and cow if she’iftell your a
“Got it.” Kander said with a quick ned.
The two boys moved to opposite comers of the room to make their cats.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, Bradley pulled it open to find a guy from next door. “Is Cameron here? Somen
“Who?” Bradley asked.
“Looks like his parents.”
Bradley’s expression darkened. He rushed to the floor-length window and looked down.
Sure enough, Martin, Heidi, and Milena were standing outside the boys’ dorm, anxiously peering inside.
Bradley spun around. “Eli, forget the call. Cam’s parents are downstairs.”
“Downstairs?” Elijah quickly ended his conversation and hung up.
Austin joined Bradley at the window, squinting down at the three figures. Those are Cam’s family? They don’t look much like him, he thought
