She's the Campus Prince

Elijah placed a skewer of grilled wings in front of Cameron. "Try these."

"Thanks," Cameron said with a nod.

The table wasn't that big, and everything was within reach. Yet Elijah handed it to her anyway.

Lila caught the look in Elijah's eyes as he glanced at Cameron, soft, deliberate, unmistakably fond. The moment she saw it, it all clicked.

'No wonder he turned me down.' If she'd lost to anyone else, she might've been upset. But losing to Cameron? She had to admit, it made sense.

Calder, sitting nearby, had a good first impression of Lila. He started up a casual conversation, and Lila responded politely, a little smile on her lips.

Sienna, on the other hand, was quieter. The guy sitting next to her wasn't exactly a chatterbox either. The two of them shared a silence that stretched on

awkwardly.

Amelia stayed ice-cool as usual. Tyler tried several different conversation starters, but everything he threw at her landed with a thud. Her answers were brief and flat, which left Tyler feeling mildly defeated.

Even though the vibe around the table wasn't exactly buzzing, it wasn't tense either. Just mellow.

Halfway through the meal, Elijah nudged Tyler's foot under the table.

Tyler looked up sharply, meeting Elijah's eyes. Instantly, he understood. 'Right. The plan.'

He'd been so focused on Amelia's frosty attitude, he nearly forgot what he'd promised Elijah.

Tyler clapped his hands together. "Alright, people! I know it's our first time hanging out, but don't you think we're being a little too quiet? Let's liven things up with a game!"

"I'm down," one of the guys chimed in.

"What game?" asked Lila, always the enthusiastic one.

Tyler grinned. "How about Truth or Dare?"

"Yes! Let's do it," Lila said, already fired up.

Amelia gave her a side glance. "Don't come crying to me later.",

"What's there to regret? It's just a game," Lila replied, laughing.

Elijah turned to Cameron. "You in?"

Cameron nodded. "Sure."

Sienna didn't object either."

Everyone agreed-grilled skewers in one hand, cards in the other. Sounded like a good night.

Tyler pulled out a deck he'd clearly prepared ahead of time. He drew eight cards, placing one joker among them. Whoever drew the joker would have to choose between truth or dare.

In the first round, Lila got the joker.

She groaned. "Of course it's me."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Lila, truth or dare?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Dare."

Tyler glanced at Calder and said, "Alright then, give Calder a hug."

Lila stared at him. "Seriously?"

Sienna blushed. "Are we really going that far right away?"

Amelia added, "Lila, you picked dare. No backing out."

"I didn't say I was," Lila huffed, standing up.

"Do it! Hug! Hug!" Tyler led the chant, clearly loving the chaos.

The whole point of this get-together was to create some sparks. Games like this helped people get a little closer.

Lila's cheeks flushed pink as she looked at Calder.

His ears were already red. He stood up awkwardly, clearly bracing himself for impact.

He cleared his throat. "You don't have to go all in. Just a quick one is fine."

Lila shut her eyes and threw her arms around him, quick, clumsy, and over in a second. She bounced away almost immediately.

Still, even that split-second of contact left both of them bright red, avoiding each other's gaze.

Everyone around the table burst out laughing. They played a few more rounds, and eventually, Cameron drew the joker.

The round before, Amelia had drawn it.

Now it was her turn to ask. "Truth or dare?" Amelia asked.

"Dare," Cameron replied without hesitation.

Amelia blinked. She hadn't expected that.noveldrama

She'd been hoping Cameron would pick truth-she already had the perfect

question in mind. 'Do you like Bradley?'