Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Gavin looked unfazed. “Nothing.”
Lance definitely heard Gavin right, but with their parents there, he let it go.
Jacqueline nudged Logan. “Logan, hurry up and call Cam.”
Lance nodded. “Okay.”
He was about to leave with his phone when Levi called out, “Just make the call here.”
Jacqueline chimed in, “And put him on speaker.”
Lance was speechless, but he gave in because his parents were even more anxious than he’d expected. Finally, he dialed Cameron’s number and put it on speaker.
After two rings, Cameron’s calm and flat voice echoed through the living room. Her voice was a little low, but still pleasant to listen to. “Hello, Lance.” When Jacqueline heard Cameron’s voice, her eyes welled up with tears instantly. She clapped a hand over her mouth, trying not to make a sound. Levi gently pulled her into his arms, letting her lean against him without saying a word. He fixed his eyes on Lance’s phone, focusing on that tiny screen.
Gavin watched the scene unfold in silence with a slight frown. He wondered, ‘Is it really worth it? All this worry and all this emotion, for a son who didn’t seem to care?’
Jun
“It’s me,” Lance said. “Cameron, I just checked with the family. They’re free tomorrow. How about we meet at noon?”
“Where?” Cameron asked.
Lance looked over at their parents.
Levi mouthed, “On the island.”
Lance nodded. “Cameron, how about I pick you up tomorrow and we go to the island to meet with the family? Does that work for you?”
Cameron said, “Lance, I only agreed to meet you all. I never said I’d go home with you.”
Hearing this, Jacqueline quickly waved her hand, signaling Lance to go with Cameron’s wishes.
Lance said, “Then you pick the place.”
Cameron suggested, “Let’s just meet at a restaurant and grab lunch together?”
Jacqueline nodded eagerly at Cameron’s suggestion.
“Alright,” Lance said. “Do you want to book the place, or should I?”
Cameron replied, “You do it.”
“Okay.” Lance agreed.
Cameron said, “That’s settled then.”
“See you tomorrow,” Lance said. As soon as Lance finished speaking, Cameron hung up.
Jacqueline was already in tears. She grabbed Lance’s hand tightly and urged, “Lance, hurry up and book a place, then send the address to Cam.”
“Got it.” Lance glanced at Gavin, then turned and headed out to make the arrangements.
Jacqueline was so excited she could barely sit still. “Should we just leave the island now? No, wait. I need to pick out something to wear. I can’t just meet Cam looking like this. Oh, and I need to get her a gift too.”
“Honey, calm down,” Levi said. “Whatever you want to do, let’s take it one step at a time. There’s no rush.”
Jacqueline shook her head, still buzzing with excitement. “You need to change too. We can’t show up in our old clothes. Let’s hurry and buy something new.”
Levi said, “Alright, let’s go shopping.”
Gavin didn’t look thrilled. He stood up and said, “Mom, Dad, I’m heading back to my room.”
But Levi and Jacqueline were so excited about seeing Cameron the next day that they didn’t even notice anything amiss.
Gavin left the living room with a grim look, and as soon as he stepped outside, he spotted Lance waiting in the shadows.
The moment he came out, Lance immediately stepped forward. Clearly, Lance had been waiting for him.
Gavin’s expression stayed grim. “What’s up, Lance?”
Lance didn’t look any happier. Glancing toward the house, where the living room sat a good 30 feet away, he lowered his voice and asked, “Gavin, talk in private?”
With that, the two of them headed over to Gavin’s villa. Each of them-Levi and Jacqueline, Gavin, and Lance-had their own villa where they resided. we
“Go ahead.” Gavin sat down on the leather sofa, his handsome face still looking pretty grim.
Lance got straight to the point. “Gavin, do you have a problem with Cameron?”
Gavin just stared at him in silence,
Lance pressed, “What did you mean earlier when you said the gift finally worked?”
Gavin replied, “So now you’re sticking up for at kid who won’t even acknowledge you a as his brother?”
Lance frowned. “So you really do have a problem with Cameron. You haven’t even met him, so what’s your issue?”
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Gavin’s mouth. He didn’t bother hiding his feelings.
Gavin said, “At first, I was honestly happy to hear our little brother is still alive. I was really looking forward to him coming back to the Yates family.
“But when you told me Cameron refused to acknowledge us as his family, and that’s when I started to have a problem with him.”
Lance said, “Gavin, you have to understand Cameron. He’s had a rough time with the Wallace family all these years, so he’s got some trauma to work through.”
“And who hasn’t?” Gavin’s voice turned sharp. “You think it’s been easy for Mom and Dad? Especially Mom? Do you have any idea what she’s been through all these years?”
Lance fell silent.
Gavin continued, “So, according to you, Cameron’s too scared to acknowledge us because of what happened with the Wallace family? Is he really that fragile? Since when did the Yates family raise someone so weak?”
“Cameron’s actually really impressive. He’s not weak,” Lance said.
Gavin let out a cold laugh. “Right. So now, everything he says matters, but what I say doesn’t?”
“You’re overthinking it,” Lance replied.
Gavin said, “If you guys want to go meet him tomorrow, go ahead. I won’t be there.”
Lance stared at him in shock. “You’re not going?”
“Nope.”
Lance didn’t know what to say.
“You can go now. I need to rest,” Gavin added, clearly done with the conversation.
Lance gave Gavin a helpless look, then left his villa.
That night, while Lance scoured restaurant listings in Viremont looking for a convenient and upscale spot, Gavin quietly left the island, saying he was going on a “business trip”.
Meanwhile, Levi and Jacqueline were back at the house, nervously and excitedly preparing to meet Cameron the next day.
At 9 AM the next morning, Levi, Jacqueline, and Logan arrived at the hotel lobby, where the restaurant they would dine in for lunch was located.
Jacqueline wasn’t happy. “How could Gavin go on a business trip at such an important time? What job could possibly be more important than meeting his brother?”
Levi chimed in, “Gavin really went too far this time.”
Lance stayed silent, but he wanted to tell them that Gavin didn’t actually go on a business trip. He just didn’t want to see Cameron, so he left on purpose
But seeing how excited his parents were, he didn’t want to ruin their mood.
Lance said, “Mom, Dad, it’s only nine in the morning, and we’re meeting Cameron at noon. I booked a room, so why don’t you go up and rest for a bit?”
Jacqueline gently smoothed out her new dress and waved him off. “It’s fine. Cam will be here soon. I’ll just wait in the lobby.”
Levi agreed, “We’ll wait here too.”
Lance blinked, thinking, ‘There are still three hours to go. Are we really just going to stand here and wait?’
Lance tried, “How about I give Cameron a call and see if he can come a bit earlier?”
Jacqueline quickly shook her head. “No, no, three hours will fly by. Don’t mess up Cam’s plans.”
Once again, Lance was rendered speechless.
Following the location Lance sent her, Cameron took a cab to the hotel. As soon as she exited the car, she spotted Lance and the middle-aged couple standing behind him.
