Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Cameron, just about to order takeout on her phone, frowned at the message. ‘Did I read too much into things? Was Bradley really just worried I’d get sick when he sent me to change?’ she wondered.
Cameron replied: [Brad, you guys start without me.]
Bradley: [Hurry up. I ordered all your go-to dishes.]
Cameron: [Got it.]
Cameron closed the food delivery app, grabbed an umbrella, and headed out. When she reached Bradley’s villa, only he was in the living room.
“Where’s Amelia?” she asked.
Bradley stood. “She left.”
“Left? Where’d she go?”
“Probably home.”
Cameron frowned, skeptical. “Brad, did you say something to her? Or did she talk to you about anything?”
“Nope. She just had a sudden emergency.”
Cameron was stunned. She thought, ‘Emergency? Amelia was so determined to see Bradley today. No emergency would make her bolt like that.’
She turned and saw Amelia’s black umbrella by
De doof. The rain was pouring harder now.
“Brad, you eat first. I’m gonna check on Amelia,” Cameron said, then dashed into the storm with the umbrella.
Without an umbrella, Amelia must have had a rough time.
‘So Bradley intentionally sent me away to drive Amelia away?’ Cameron wondered. But she was the one who’d brought Amelia there. She couldn’t have a young woman alone in a downpour. She had to make sure Amelia was okay.
Bradley watched Cameron vanish into the rain, frowning but not following. ‘This is a mess Cameron shouldn’t be part of Best to let it end here, he thought.
Cameron asked the Noble Vista security and found out Amelia had run right from the entrance. Holding her umbrella, she speed-walked in that direction.
After about ten minutes, she saw Amelia huddled under a tree, soaking wet, arms crossed, sobbing miserably with hiccupping breaths Cameron stopped, hiding behind a tree instead of approaching. From about 30 feet away, she watched Amelia cry.
She thought, ‘I messed up tonight. I’d already asked Bradley. He made it clear he doesn’t like Amelia. I never should’ve agreed to help
Loving someone who didn’t love you back must be agony. Cameron had never felt that, so she couldn’t fully relate.
Cameron stood silently under her umbrella, watching Amelia.
Amelia cried for a long time before finally trudging forward in her high heels. The rain poured on. Under the night sky, everything was slick and wet. There were few people out, and those who were dashed by like gusts of wind.
Amelia hugged herself, her dress soaking wet and dripping steadily. It clung tightly, leaving her curves fully visible. But Amelia didn’t care-her heart felt hollow.
‘This isn’t the Bradley I knew. I was wrong about him. I’ll never like him again, she thought.
Cameron followed quietly from a distance, careful not to let Amelia spot her.
As Amelia rounded the corner with her arms wrapped around her, she collided with someone coming the opposite way.
“Are you freaking blind?” The man she hit was young, with a damp cigarette hanging from his lips, looking like a total punk.
One glance told Amelia he was bad news. Being practical, she apologized quickly, “Sorry, so sorry.”
She tried to hurry past, but he grabbed her arm. “Amelia? No kidding. Isn’t this Langford Academy’s little miss perfect? Tsk tsk, look at you-what a state.”
Amelia froze, eyeing the man who stood half a head taller. “Who are you?”
“Oh, you don’t remember me? Classic. I’m Zach. Thanks to you, I’m stuck in this hellhole!”
“Zach…” Sensing his hostility, Amelia hugged herself and took two cautious steps back, eyeing the strange man for a long moment before shaving her head. “I don’t know you.”
She truly didn’t recognize him-the name meant nothing to her. His claim that she’d destroyed his life was completely baseless.
“You don’t know me?” Zach gave a humorless laugh at her denial, stepping closer. “Amelia, if I hadn’t helped you mess with Cameron, do you think of have gotten expelled?”
Amelia froze, suddenly remembering who he was. ‘Mess with Cameron? So he was the one!’ she thought.
It had all been Skyler’s terrible idea. Skyler had handled every part of the plan, communicating exclusively with Zach. Amelia had barely spoken to him.
Zach stared her down. “You said you’d be my girlfriend if I helped you take care of Cameron, Well, now’s the time you’re mine”
Amelia stepped back quickly. “You’ve got the wrong idea. I never agreed to that. Skyler made it all up.”
Zach ground his teeth. “Made it up? You think you can just brush it off? I never would’ve taken such a huge risk with Cameron if you hadn’t promised to be my girl! For three years in high school, every time I picked on Cameron because of you!”
Amelia was speechless, knowing there was no reasoning with Zach now. She had to escape before things got worse.
She turned to run, but in an instant, Zach grabbed a handful of her hair.
“Ah!” The sudden, sharp pain made her cry out involuntarily.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He yanked her back by her hair. “Amelia, I got expelled because of you. My dad beat me so badly that I was bedridden for three days. I don’t even have a diploma. You need to pay me back for all that.”
Tears streaming down her face, Amelia pleaded, “Zach, let go of me first! Those promises weren’t mine. Skyler lied to you!”
Zach tightened his grip on her hair. “Lies or not, you ruined my life! I’m making you mine right now.”
As he spoke, Zach shoved Amelia hard against a tree and leaned in, pinning her there.
“Get off!” Amelia struggled wildly, but she was no match for Zach.
“Help! Somebody help!” she shrieked, her voice breaking.
“Nobody’s gonna hear you,” Zach sneered, one hand pressing her shoulder down, the other grabbing her face. Staring at her up close, he froze, dazed. “God, you’re fucking gorgeous. No wonder I went crazy for you.”
As he leaned in to kiss her, Amelia screamed frantically.
In that split second, Zach was suddenly thrown backward.
Still gripping her chin, he dragged Amelia to the ground with him. Her knee cracked against the pavement, her face turning pale with pain.
“Are you okay?” Cameron rushed to help Amelia up.
She’d been following Amelia quietly, stopping at the corner to avoid being seen until she heard the screams. Dropping her umbrella, she’d raced over just in time to see Amelia being assaulted.
Cameron grabbed Zach by the collar and heaved him away with all her strength.
“Who the fuck… Cameron, it turns out to be you! You goddamn bastard!” Zach roared.
Zach hit the ground hard from the shove, but as a guy, he brushed off the pain. What pissed him off was someone ruining his shot.
When he stood to confront the intruder, his blood boiled-it was Cameron.
“The goddamn bastard is barking,” Cameron said dryly, eyeing him up with a half-smile. She’d wondered why Viremont’s law and order had gone downhill lately. Now she knew-scum like Zach were slinking around.
“Cameron!” Amelia urgently tugged at Cameron’s sleeve. Zach was massive, and Cameron couldn’t take him on. They needed to get out of there now.
“It’s fine,” Cameron reassured her.
“Cameron!” Amelia pleaded, panicking as Cameron held her ground.
“Amelia, go first,” Cameron said.
Amelia shook her head. “No, we’re leaving together.”
“Neither of you lovebirds is going anywhere!” Zach bellowed. His shitty life was all their doing. Now that they’d run into him, he’d make sure they suffered. There was no way out.
Amelia flinched, instinctively shrinking behind Cameron.
But Cameron just stared at Zach, stone-faced. “I’m not going anywhere. You think you can mess with Amelia and get away with it? I’m sending you to prison.”
Zach laughed maniacally, “Oh, you’ll send me to prison? Great. I’ll send you to the grave first.”
As he spoke, he pulled a folding switchblade from his pocket. The sharp blade gleamed coldly in the rain.
Amelia’s heart dropped. A knife! Zach got a knife!
She glanced at Cameron’s slight build, knowing Cameron couldn’t fend him off. This whole mess was her fault-she’d trusted the wrong person, making Zach target her. Cameron didn’t deserve this. She couldn’t drag Cameron down with her.
“Go, Cameron!” Amelia mustered up her courage to step in front of her, shaking but locking eyes with Zach. “This is on me, not her. Let her go.”
Zach cackled wildly. “Tsk tsk, Amelia, don’t tell me you actually like this pussy Cameron? Protecting him so hard? You know what I’ll do to you after he’s gone?”
