Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Austin continued, “Then again, Xander has a temper. I get it.”
Cameron finished her breakfast in a few quick bites and stood up. “I’m done eating. Take your time, Austin.”
After she left, Austin watched her thin figure walk away and murmured under his breath, “Did I say something wrong?”
Elijah took every chance he could get to tutor Cameron like he was determined to turn her into a model student in just three months.
Cameron knew he meant well, but it was honestly a bit too much. So the moment class ended, she bolted, without even giving Elijah a chance to say a word.
By the time the ten o’clock class rolled around, there was a twenty-minute break. Students in grades ten and eleven had assigned duties during the break, but the seniors were free.
Cameron hid out in a bathroom stall, trying to catch a breather. Suddenly, thud! A heavy noise echoed just outside.
She jumped. ‘Someone fell?’ she wondered. On instinct, she pushed open the door. mad
Right in front of her, Austin was successfully unlocked! His already pale, handsome face was drained of color from the pain.
“Austin?” Cameron crouched down immediately. Instead of rushing to lift him, she calmly asked, “Are you okay? Where does it hurt? Did you hit anything?”
“M-my meds,” Austin whispered, pointing weakly at a scattering of pills on the floor.
“Okay,” Cameron said quickly, and started picking them up.
She paused as soon as she touched them. Those white pills were not actual medication. They were vitamin tablets. Oddly, the imprints on them had been deliberately scratched off.
Cameron had once time-traveled to a prominent medical family and had devoted her entire life in that world to practicing medicine. Just by the smell of the pills in her hand, she knew exactly what they were.
Without letting her expression change, she swept the pills into the white plastic bottle they had come from. She glanced at the label. It claimed to be for relieving cough symptoms.
As she handed the bottle back to Austin, she said casually, “They hit the ground. Can you still take them?”
Austin shook his head. “I have to. If I don’t, the coughing won’t stop.”
Cameron was stunned for a second. ‘Vitamins for a cough? Sure. Okay.’ She pretended not to notice anything unusual.
She asked, “Austin, if you are okay, should I help you up?”
“Yes, please. Thank you, Cameron. Honestly, if it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” Austin said sincerely.
As she helped him up, Cameron discreetly checked his pulse. His body really was weak. But what she could not understand was-why vitamin tablets? Not that it mattered. It was not her business.
Once Austin was steady on his feet, Cameron let go of his arm. “Can you manage on your own? Or should I go get someone to help you?”
“I-It’s fine. I got it,” Austin said, his face pale.
‘Damn, I went overboard with the dose this time. If I’m not careful, I might end up killing myself,’ he wondered.
He flashed a weak smile at Cameron, then turned around. The moment his back was to her, that smile disappeared completely. He walked off alone.
Cameron didn’t try to stop him. She stayed at the sink, meticulously washing her hands.
People with OCD either drove themselves crazy or everyone else. Fortunately, hers wasn’t that extreme.
*****
The last class of the morning was Spanish. The teacher was handing back their mock test papers.
“Cameron got a 78?” Lacey frowned slightly.
‘She didn’t pass? With how fluent her Spanish is, how could she fail? She must’ve done it on purpose,’ Lacey wondered. But all she did was glance in Cameron’s direction.
Later, during a break, Lacey called her out into the hallway. “Cameron, can I have a word?”
“Sure, Ms. Morgan, what’s the matter?” Cameron replied.
Lacey lowered her voice. “Why did you fail the mock test? Didn’t you score a perfect hundred during the oral exam in Mr. Drake’s office the other day?”
Cameron looked helpless. “Ms. Morgan, I had my reasons.”
Lacey recalled something she’d overheard from a group of students in another class. Cameron had been dumped by the Chapman family.
‘So, she’s been hiding her true abilities this whole time? Could it be she’s afraid of retaliation from the Chapman family?’ Lacey wondered. She felt she had figured it out.
Lacey gave her a knowing nod. “Alright, Cameron. I trust what you’re capable of. It doesn’t matter if you failed this test. As long as you ace the SATs, you’ll be fine.”
Cameron smiled. “Thank you.”
When Cameron was back in the classroom, Elijah glanced at her. “Looks like I’ll have to tutor you in Spanish, too.”/
“Thanks,” Cameron said, “But Elijah, are you sure that won’t interfere with your own studies?”
“It won’t,” Elijah replied.
Cameron paused.
When the final bell rang for lunch break, Cameron went straight to the underground parking lot. Bradley was already waiting for her. They were dealing with the mess today. Finally, she would be completely free of the Wallace family.
“What do you want for lunch?” Bradley asked gently. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, always giving off a refined vibe even in the standard school uniform.
“I’m good with anything,” Cameron replied.
Bradley nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
Still curious about Austin, Cameron asked, “Brad, what’s wrong with him exactly? What illness does he have?”
Bradley shook his head. “I’m not really sure. He’s had a chronic cough for years and is absent a lot. I heard a doctor once said he wouldn’t live more than a year, but that’s about all I know.”
It was a vague answer, deliberately so.
‘So Bradley doesn’t know either. Looks like Austin’s a lot more complicated than he lets on,’ she thought. But she didn’t press further.
The paperwork went smoothly. Cameron was officially free of any legal ties to the Wallace family, and she was genuinely happy about it.
“I don’t even know how to thank you, Brad,” she said sincerely.
A playful glint flashed in Bradley’s eyes behind his glasses. “Then wait until you figure it out.”
Cameron smiled and gave her chest a confident pat. “If you ever need something, just say the word.”
Bradley’s eyes darkened with an unreadable emotion. “I won’t hold back.”
They went back to school, and a crowd had gathered around the sports field. The strumming of an acoustic guitar floated through the air, paired with a warm, magnetic voice that wrapped around everyone like a comforting breeze. The students erupted in cheers.
“That voice, oh my god, is incredible.”
“Mr. Fraser’s finally back on campus. I’m freaking out.”
“Life is so unfair. How can someone as perfect as Mr. Fraser have some weird disease? They even say he might not make it past the year.”
“You better shut your mouth.”
As Cameron and Bradley passed by the sports field, they could not help but notice the commotion.
There, seated on the stone steps with a guitar in his arms, was the sickly beautiful boy whose voice had completely captivated the crowd of students. Boys and girls alike were utterly entranced by his performance.
Seeing Cameron glance at Austin, Bradley offered, “Austin’s really talented. He’s great with instruments, and his singing is incredible. He’s got a natural gift for music.”
Cameron nodded slightly. She was not particularly curious about Austin.
Even though she had picked up on the fact that he was hiding a lot, those were his secrets, and they had nothing to do with her.
“I’m heading to the library,” she said. “Do you want to come?”
Bradley shook his head. “I’ll pass. I missed an English Literature test the day before yesterday. Gotta go make that up.”
Cameron paused. ‘The day before yesterday? That was the day I went back to the Wallace house to cut ties. He skipped class because of me? He missed a test because of me?’ she wondered.
Feeling a little guilty, she began, “Brad, was it because-“
“It wasn’t,” Bradley cut her off before she could finish. “Don’t overthink it.”
He waved his hand casually and walked off without giving her a chance to say another word.
Cameron stood frozen for a moment, staring after him. Just then, Amelia suddenly appeared, heading straight toward Bradley. Seeing this, Cameron turned away and headed toward the library.
Austin, still singing, caught a glimpse of the interaction out of the corner of his eye. Only when he saw the two part ways did he finally look away.
He continued his song, his voice drawing the crowd in like a siren’s call. His frail, strikingly beautiful appearance only made him seem more tragic, more endearing.
