Silence followed Philip's admission. He stood there, still and severe, the glow of the lamps reflecting off of his raven hair. The soft autumn breeze carried a few leaves across the pavement in a swirling dance, their scraping the only sound in the night.

Kaitlyn couldn't help but stare. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said." Philip continued to meet her gaze levelly. "I am not enrolled as a student at Hartland University."

"But…but you're going to classes." Her mind struggled to accept what he'd said. "I thought you were a CS major?"

He shook his head slowly. "I have never claimed to be such. I have very specifically made sure never to lie about my student or course enrollment status. However, I have made… omissions. As you may now realize. As for how I'm attending lectures, most class information – professors, times, and locations – is publicly available. I have utilized that info to simply sit in on classes that fill my needs. It is simple to slip by unnoticed, as you are undoubtedly aware."

Kaitlyn put a hand to her head. Her gaze went distant as her thoughts whirled. Suddenly, all of the strange details about Philip snapped into place. His three jobs, his proclivity toward buying things secondhand, how he avoided expensive frivolities… the blurry suspicions that Kaitlyn had been harboring suddenly clarified into a single picture.

I thought that his jobs were all to pay for tuition. I really thought he was just a broke college student. But this…

"But… why?" Her voice sounded faint even to her own ears, dazed as she was. "Just why?"

"I… am not in a financial position to afford a college certification." The admission seemed like it tore something out of him. "However, I believe that a college education will substantially improve my skills and probability of being hired for a top-level software engineer position. Therefore, I have chosen to make do with what is available to me."

"CS hires based on competence, not credentials…" Kaitlyn whispered.

Philip nodded slowly. "Correct. As I've stated before, CS is unique as a field in that many jobs rely more on practical skill tests and applications rather than degrees and resumes. As such, my approach is more likely to result in actually getting hired than it would be for other majors. Additionally, most of the resources relevant for my field of study come in the form of classes themselves. This is unlike a field such as biology, where one can and is expected to participate in a laboratory environment for better opportunities to become available."

Kaitlyn found herself nodding along. The logic made sense. It was genius, really. The guy had found a way to get a college education for free, no questions asked. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more benefits became apparent. There was no need to worry about taking GE's or electives or other courses he wasn't interested in. He could simply drop into whatever class he wanted – with whatever professor, no less – and not even worry about slots filling up. He didn't even have to care about getting sabotaged by bad grades, either. Even if that ever could be a concern for him.

But still. To have the discipline to not only try this, but succeed at it… Kaitlyn gazed at Philip with newfound respect. That's insane. Most people can't even drag themselves to the classes they paid for. You have to be some kind of juggernaut to actually pull that off.

Still, one thing still bothered her. "How… what does this have to do with the group project though?"

"I am not a student, so I don't have a school email. Nor do I have access to school resources such as assignments or peripheral materials posted on the class website." Philip crossed his arms. "Normally, this is a limitation I can navigate around by designing my own study material and problem sets based on more publicly available information. However, it means I am fairly hamstrung when it comes to the actual assignments for a given class."

The guy averted his gaze, eyes falling to the pavement. "However… I have been able to keep abreast of them in Algorithms. In our study sessions, you enable me to view the assignments during the course of our discussion. From there, it is a simple matter to copy the questions down for future review and practice. In other words…" His eyes rose once more, a flash of pain streaking through them. "I apologize for my dishonesty. I didn't mean to deceive you in this way. However, in light of my behavior, if you wish to find better study partners…"

Kaitlyn blinked. "Wait, what? Why would I…?"

Philip closed his eyes. "Because I have been taking advantage of you."

Kaitlyn couldn't help it. She laughed.

You've gotta be kidding me. Really? Is that what this is all about?

"What?" Philip's expression darkened immediately.

"Ah, sorry! I'm not laughing at you, I swear!" She hurriedly backpedaled. "It's just… it just sounded so absurd. I feel like I'm the one who's been taking advantage of you."

Philip frowned. "How so?"

"I mean, you've seen how our study sessions go," she shrugged. "I'm constantly asking you questions about this stuff. Really, with how much you help me, it feels like I should be paying you for tutoring. And you're figuring that all out on the fly, without even seeing the problems before? Just… how?"

"I am simply applying the concepts as we've learned them in class. Though I have not seen those specific problems, I do study similar ones as I'm able. In addition, learning through teaching others is one of the best ways to ensure a firm grasp of the material," he countered. "It's not as though you're the sole beneficiary from our activities. That would be true even if I weren't taking advantage of your course access."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Ok, sure," Kaitlyn agreed, "but you still have to drive to campus and spend some of your precious time teaching someone like me rather than someone smarter. You're totally getting the short end of the stick."

"You underestimate yourself. If anything, I would prefer to study with someone as driven as yourself rather than someone who is, as you put it, 'smarter'."

"Fine." Kaitlyn sighed. The guy wouldn't budge on that point, it seemed. "Let's pretend that it's not a completely uneven trade then. Still, if you didn't have access, why didn't you ask? I could just send you the assignments, you know. You don't have to sneakily copy them down or anything."

Philip was already shaking his head. "That would have required me to tell you about my situation, which I have been hesitant to do. In addition, the resources are not mine to access. I will take advantage of the resources available to me, but no more."

Kaitlyn took in the student – no, not a student, she reminded herself – across from her. He continued to meet her gaze with the same intensity as before. Now that he'd said his piece, it seemed like he was waiting for her to respond.

Ok. Well, that's a bombshell. There's a lot to take in here.

She'd suspected that Philip was poor for a long time – how could she not, when the guy worked so many jobs? But apparently, he also wasn't a student at Hartland in the first place. And he'd been harboring some kind of weird guilt complex about studying with her for a while, now.

So if he's not a student, then where's all the money going? He's working three jobs, so it's not like he's earning nothing. Either he's stashing it away or he's spending it on something else. Family, maybe?

One look at his expression convinced her that she didn't want to pry open that particular can of worms. At least, not yet. They guy already was on edge about admitting this much.

So. Putting the money thing aside for now. And the student thing, which is still WILD to me. What does all this change?

She had to really think about that for a second. Did it really matter? It certainly didn't mean she wanted to study with him any less, even after this supposed "betrayal". It didn't affect how he approached the class, either. Which meant…

"...Yeah, I don't really see how this changes anything," she eventually admitted. "Also, I'm still not seeing a reason why we shouldn't partner for this project."

"I just explained how I have been taking advantage of you–"

"Yeah, and I think you're wrong. Think about it. I'm not losing out at all." She waved him off. "Besides, you forget, I'm not even in this class either. I'm just auditing. So really, partnering with each other is the best option. Who else would partner with me?"

Philip's eyebrows raised just the slightest bit. "I… suppose so. You make a fair point. But still–"

"Also, I can ask the professor about giving you access to the course material," Kaitlyn offered before he could continue. "If that doesn't work, I can just–"

"I don't want charity."

The coldness of the words caught her a little off guard, but she managed to take it in stride. "Well, I won't survive this class without you. So me giving you this stuff is pretty much the epitome of selfishness."

He paused at that. "Once again, you sell yourself short."

"I'm really not." She gave a dry chuckle. If you remembered how long it took me to get through Calculus, you'd understand. "But here, tell you what. You take advantage of me and my class access, and I'll take advantage of you and pick your brain every opportunity I get. Then we're both scamming each other, and everyone's happy!"

"I…" Philip frowned. "I don't think you understand what it means to take advantage of someone."

Kaitlyn sighed in exasperation. "Oh, come on. You've helped me out so much – more than you know, and don't even try to deny that – just let me help you out for once. Please? You said you don't like charity, but how would you feel if someone just gave you free tutoring for six weeks? I really want to pay you back somehow."

For a few moments, the guy seemed to consider the suggestion. Kaitlyn waited, holding her breath in anticipation. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. If this arrangement is truly acceptable to you, then… I accept."

Internally, she pumped her first. "Does that mean you'll partner with me too?"

"...Yes."

She let out a long exhale of relief. "Thank goodness. I was worried there for a second!"

"Truly?"

"Of course!" She grinned at the guy. "I mean, who else would I be able to mooch off of if not you?"

The tension in Philip's shoulders finally eased as he let out a rare chuckle. "I hope you don't expect me to complete the entire thing on my own. Despite the stigma attached to group projects, you still bear certain responsibilities here."

"I know, I know," she waved him off again. "I'll do my best, promise. By the way, if there's any other classes you need stuff for, I can see about getting their materials too. I don't know how available they are, but…"

Philip stiffened again, his expression tightening. He eventually nodded in reluctant acceptance. "That would… be much appreciated. Only if it represents no additional effort on your part, though."

"Of course! I'll just look at their websites." She grinned. It really wouldn't be too much effort, though it did make her wonder if there was more she could do. "Still, I can't believe it. You're not even a student? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I expected that it would not reflect well on me," Philip shrugged. "Either my financial situation or my methods."

She gave him a dubious glance. "Uh-huh. Yeah. Working your butt off wouldn't reflect well on you. How do you figure that? I mean, if anything that makes me respect you even more."

A slight smile touched the corner of his mouth. "While I appreciate the compliment, I do not expect your disposition to be universal. Nor do I wish to be viewed as a 'mooch', as you so eloquently put it."

"I guess…" She shivered slightly. "Anyway, it's getting late. I should be getting home. Maybe we talk more on Saturday about the assignment?"

Philip smiled back. "That would be excellent. Do you need a ride home?"

"Sure." She brightened. "Keeps me from walking back in the cold."