Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
In the parking lot, Elijah stowed the shopping bags in his backseat. “Cameron, wait here. I think I forgot something.”
Cameron nodded. “Sure, take your time.”
Ten minutes later, Elijah returned, and they drove to a barbecue joint near Cameron’s campus.
After having a meal, Elijah declined Cameron’s offer to drive him back, insisting on a taxi instead.
Cameron didn’t push. As she watched his taxi pull away, her phone rang. It was Elijah.
“Elijah? What’s up?” Elijah was puzzled.
“Cameron,” he said, steadying his voice. “Thanks again for tonight. I left you a gift on the passenger seat.”
Cameron chuckled, “It was nothing, really.”
Elijah insisted, “To you, maybe. But you helped me. If you don’t accept it, I’ll never dare ask for help again.”
Back in the car, Cameron found the gift. It was the very bracelet she had modeled earlier. She couldn’t help thinking, ‘Did he buy two? But it’s expensive. I can’t keep it.’
“Elijah, you already treated me to dinner. This bracelet is too much. I can’t keep it,” Cameron insisted.
“Cameron…” Elijah’s voice faltered. He had thought that would be enough to convince her, but she still refused. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
“We were desk mates, roommates, and bros. You don’t need to be so formal,” Cameron added casually.
Elijah’s grip tightened on his phone. He thought, ‘Bros? Does she forget she’s a girl?’
Truthfully, Elijah didn’t want to take the bracelet back. He switched tactics. “Fine. Just keep it for now. I’ll pick it up later.”
“Sure.” Cameron agreed.
As she moved to hang up, Elijah suddenly blurted, “Cameron.”
“Huh?”
“You looked… beautiful today.”
The line went dead before Cameron could respond.
Elijah slammed his phone onto his lap, ears burning. His heart was pounding so wildly he worried the taxi driver might hear. It was the first time he had ever complimented a girl. His palms were even sweating.
The dial tone buzzed in Cameron’s ear. She chuckled and then tucked the jewelry box into the glove compartment.
When she got back to campus, she made her way toward the dormitory.
All along the way, she drew plenty of admiring glances. “Wow, what a stunning girl. How come I’ve never seen her before?”
“She’s not from our school, is she?”
“She outshines Amelia, the new campus belle.”
“Which department is she in? Could she actually be one of us?”
Cameron ignored all the whispers and exclaims, heading straight to her dorm.
Lila, Amelia, and Sienna were still awake when she returned.
The moment the door opened, Lila practically launched herself across the room. “How was the date, Cam? That outfit was killer. Did you wreck your classmate’s heart?”
Cameron rolled her eyes. “Lila, it wasn’t a date. Just helping a friend.”
“Just a friend?” Amelia’s face was covered with a face mask. “Sure. In your mind maybe.”
Sienna nodded. “Cam, be real. You’re so beautiful tonight. Your friend is definitely into you.”
Cameron gave them a deadpan look and then headed straight into the bathroom to shower. She was going back to Yates Manor tomorrow.
Elijah had barely stepped into his dorm when Xander’s call flashed on his screen. His brows furrowed. They hadn’t spoken since graduation. After all. their roommate relationship had been more a ceasefire than friendship.
Still, Elijah answered the call. “Hello?” His tone was icy.
Xander’s voice came through. “Hey, Elijah. What’ve you been up to lately?”
“Nothing. State your business.”
“Uh… Have you been in touch with Cameron recently?”
Xander hadn’t contacted Cameron since that rejection in front of her brothers two months ago. But absence hadn’t dulled Xander’s obsession. No amount of sports academy beauties could compare.
Tonight, desperation overrode pride, but he still held himself back from calling Cameron. Instead, he chose to ask Elijah for any updates.
Elijah didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “Xander, when did you learn Cameron was a girl? Before the SATS?”
Xander’s gasp crackled through the speaker. “You know?”
“Is that so surprising?” Elijah’s voice remained icy. “You knew before I did.”
Xander scoffed, “Of course. I knew it before the SATS.”
“So that’s why,” Elijah snorted. Xander’s sudden attitude shift made sense now.
Elijah thought, ‘Austin knew. Bradley probably knew too. And I was the last in Room 316 to find out Cameron was a girl.’
An inexplicable pang of bitterness twisted in his chest.
Xander asked, “How did you find out? Cameron told you?”
Elijah saw no reason to lie. “I went to Stellanford University to see her and happened to see Austin confessing-“
(201
“Austin confessed?” Xander’s roar blasted through the speaker, followed by the thud of him leaping off his couch. “That sickly bastard dared make a move on Cameron!”
Xander was angry, thinking, ‘Austin is competing with me for her?’
But soon, regret flooded Xander. He thought, ‘Why did I cut contact out of pride? While I was sulking, Austin was making his play. And these guys all knew the truth. Damn it! No! No one can take Cameron from me.’
“Did she… accept?” Xander barely choked out the question.
Elijah replied, “No.”
Xander exhaled hard. “Good. That’s good. At least her standards aren’t that law.”
Hearing Xander’s relief, Elijah frowned. He thought, ‘Why did I tell him the truth? Both he and Austin are my rivals here. Maybe I should’ve just let them fight each other instead.’
“Elijah!” Xander’s voice sharpened with sudden suspicion. “Why did you visit Cameron?”
Elijah snorted, “None of your business.”
Xander’s temple throbbed. “Don’t tell me you like her too?”
Cameron was beautiful, adorable, and incredibly impressive. It was easy for anyone to fall for her.
Elijah wasn’t ready to reveal his feelings, especially not to Xander. He kept his tone flat. “Don’t be ridiculous. Cameron and I are just friends.”
Xander snorted, “Good. You’d better not even think about competing with me”
Elijah’s lips curled in disdain. He thought, ‘Arrogant. Doesn’t he even realize that out of everyone in Room 316, Cameron probably finds him the most annoying? He’s totally clueless about himself.”
“Anything else?” Elijah asked flatly. “I’m going to sleep.”
“Whatever.” Xander hung up.
He leaped off the couch and paced his room as he thought, ‘I can’t just sit around. Cameron is perfect. Someone else will make a move if I don’t act first.
But…
His pacing slowed. He thought, ‘She’s so damn stubborn with me. How do I even get through to her?
‘Last time, I tried winning over her family, but they sent all my gifts back. If only I knew where she lived, I could’ve just shown up with my parents. Wait my parents…’
Xander spun on his heel and marched straight to his parents’ bedroom door.
The next morning, Cameron was driving to the Yates family’s private airstrip when her phone buzzed with an incoming call from Xander’s mother.
She hesitated for a few seconds before answering, “Hello, Mrs. Murphy.”
“Cameron, I’m Xander’s mother. You haven’t forgotten me, have you?” Gwen’s voice dripped with warmth.
