teddy.
kamile has been spot on about teddy multiple times now, whether he’d like to accept it or not. this, however, isn’t one of those times. see, he doesn’t mind his own voice. but, every so often when he hears the words coming out of his mouth, teddy cringes. lie after lie or honesty so blatant it hurts. never in between. he’ll say anything to get what he wants–––– to drown out the silence, even if he goes on to regret it two seconds later. and clearly this mask he’s putting on for the general public is flawless, if that’s what kamile really thinks of him. with the realization, come the nagging thoughts. as he stands next to this brilliant, ambitious woman who he has no reason to lie to, teddy wonders is this how you truly wish to be perceived by someone like her? while theodore dupont attempts to be the type of person who is fit to be king, the rest of the world has no idea who the real teddy is. “ there’s a lot you still have to learn about me, kam, ” he adds, suggestively hoping she’ll stick around long enough to change her mind.
“ i didn’t orchestrate it, if that’s what you’re implying. ” for instance, he could have called in céline’s father for a favor. teddy often believes his girlfriend’s father appreciates him more than his girlfriend. rarely has he denied his future son-in-law assistance when he was in desperate need. instead of bothering the very busy man, teddy settled on using his irresistible charm for good–––– knowing vera would be less pissed off with this scenario. it’s not as if vera asked him to do this, she didn’t have to. it’s simply what an asshole like patrick deserves. “ we just went for a few drinks, got to know each other. he owed me. didn’t take much for him to start spilling his secrets–––– i have one of those trustworthy looking faces–––– you’re well aware of that, obviously, ” he teasingly nudges kamile with his elbow, alluding to the false narrative that it’s also what is happening here with the two of them. an amused smile displayed on teddy’s face because it couldn’t be further from reality. “ he told me all about how well he’s doing this semester compared to his last. apparently, our friend, patrick, had difficulties in the spring. for lack of better words, he cheated his way to the top. and i would be going against the honor code if i didn’t report it to the dean, so i did. they reviewed his case, saw that without the added help, he failed the courses. gpa goes down, along with his dreams of staying at northridge on an academic scholarship. ” if only teddy put in half the amount of effort into his school work as he did on a revenge plan, he wouldn’t have had to request kamile’s help. “ but, i’m no hero. i did what any good student would do. ”
though she isn’t about to admit it, teddy’s words get her attention. while kamile had never disliked him, she had written him off as the jokester that uses his mom and girlfriend to get what he wants. but he already proved her wrong once tonight when he displayed flashes of intelligence she hadn’t known were there while they were studying. and maybe she’s wrong about him here, too. maybe he isn’t showboating in order to make up for a lack of interiority. and kamile isn’t one to pass up an opportunity to learn. she nods at him, ignoring the way her heart skips a beat with the nickname (she doesn’t remember the last time anyone other than her parents called her anything but kamile). “maybe there is.”
kamile raises an eyebrow in a silent challenge of his suggestion, but the smile that tugs at her lips shows she’s in on the joke. but all amusement drains out of her as teddy explains exactly what he would do if he found out about her relationship with griswold. she’s grateful for the dim lighting in the bar, almost certain he won’t notice how her cheeks burn with shame. kamile has always known that sleeping with her professor in part to win the competition is wrong, and that her victory could only be honorable if won with her brain and not her body. guilt has been eating her alive — just not enough to stop. however, after seeing her peers’ passion and ambition, she had started to let herself believe that the rest of the love club would understand why she did it, that they would understand her. teddy squashes that hope with the harsh reminder that before any of them are friends, they’re competitors; if he would do that to patrick, he wouldn’t hesitate to throw her under the bus.
kamile crosses her arms over her chest, drink resting in the crook of her elbow, and shifts ever-so-slightly away from teddy. while he punctates the story with his self-congratulatory sentiment, kamile decides on a few things: first, that she isn’t going to finish her drink. she doesn’t know how much patrick spilled because of ‘teddy’s trustworthy face’ and how much was owed to alcohol, but she isn’t going to take that chance; second, she has to be extra careful around teddy. nothing she says can tip him off about her and griswold, especially if teddy already thinks there’s something off with him; and third, the night needs to end as soon as possible — fuck whatever else there is to know about teddy. her posture straightens and she tosses her hair over her shoulders. “you should’ve led with that story. then i could’ve just told you if you spent more time studying and less time scheming, you might not need my tutelage. and i wouldn’t have had to waste my evening reviewing content i already knew.”














