Reputation: Book One

Qrow

Apologize- Timbaland, OneRepublic

As She's Walking Away- Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson

Back To You- Selena Gomez

"Tripp please just listen," I beg. He bites his bottom lip, taking his diamond stud lip piercing between his teeth. God, I loved that piercing. It made him look... Prettier. With his haircut and his extraordinarily green eyes, it tied it all together. After a moment, he shakes his head. "I-I can't," He says in a low voice.

"No!" I sob, smacking the top of my thighs with my hands. "Just please look at me!"

Tripp violently turns around, raising his hand like he wanted to backhand me. I recoiled and closed one eye, leaning away. 

"Tripp please just...hear me out," I plead, holding my hands up in a surrendering position. His bottom lip quivers as he shakes his head again.

"I came here to apologize," He tells me, voice low and lip raised.

"Well, now you know how I feel!" I shout as I immediately snap to my defence, jabbing his sternum with my middle finger. "You had no idea how shattered I was when my sister called your cell phone last night! I actually thought we could make things work, but I was wrong," I spill. He licked his bottom lip, turning his head away. "You straight up lied to me, and that's what hurts."

I waited for him to respond, but to avoid the silence, I kept pushing.

"I thought you were over her and that I could finally love you back, but you can't start a new chapter of your life with someone else if you keep re-reading the last one," I say quietly. He inhaled deeply, running his hand through his hair. With the way he was acting, I knew he was feeling guilty. I turn around to face Autumn and Ezme.

"I can't believe you," He whispers, jaw set as he stares at me. "I've lost everything, and every time I try it all goes to shit."

"She's a friend, for God's sake!" I yell, motioning to the door. "If you weren't such a stubborn ass stick in the mud, I'd have a bit more tolerance for your stupid mistakes!"

"Well you know something?" He screams, the veins in his neck raising with his voice. "This 'stick in the mud' works his ass off and has so his whole life to get what he wants! Never has ever walked around sucking on silver spoons chasing chambermaids around his ivory towers with everything handed to him on a platter!"

His comment takes me aback, and I don't know how to retaliate.

"What does that have to do?" I fire back after a moment. His face wrinkles as he gives me an 'are you kidding me?' look.

"How do you mean, Qrow? How should our differences ever work out?"

I sigh softly, pinching the bridge of my nose. My heart was pounding, and the heavy pulse made my insides throb.
"Look, I know you are feeling something," I tell him softly, stepping closer to him. I tried to calm my tears but it was hard to even breathe. I couldn't miss out on this opportunity to be this vulnerable around him. Tripp exhaled slowly but was still quiet.

"I called her today," He starts, rubbing his neck. I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "and this is going to be so cheesy, but I told her it was officially over because I loved you," He whispers voice breaking. My eyes widen and I step back, putting my hand on my chest in surprise. I was not expecting that. While my enlarged blue eyes darted back and forth between his, I was quiet. I didn't know what the right thing to say was. I know I was talking about me loving him back earlier, but now I wasn't so sure. What I wanted to say now would absolutely wreck Tripp. But I felt like I had to.

"I-I think you're wrong," I stammer, stumbling backwards. "I mean... I... I don't think... It's just a spark of the moment, Tripp," I tell him, trying to find the right words to say. "Like, it's just one of those things that happen when you're just so... heartbroken. You eventually get to not caring anymore and you just want someone to love just for the sake of feeling better," I blurt. I watched his colour drain from his face as the words sunk in. Everything I said hurt.

"Tripp, I can't fall for you," I tell him, tears welling in my eyes again. "I'm next in line for the heir to the throne and in order for me to be crowned, I have to marry a woman."

The awkwardness grew and grew until it was thick enough to cut it with a knife. The pressure of his hesitant response seemed to weight my chest as we just stood there, staring at each other.I searched his now pain-filled, dull-coloured eyes, trying to bring them up to mine, but he refused to look at me, and I understood exactly why. I was suddenly flooded with regret. Why would I say that? I can date and fuck whoever I want to. Now I just lied straight to his face. God, I'm such a hypocrite.

Tripp closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine. I guess I'll just leave you alone then," He says, turning for the door. "I mean you're right," He adds, stifling a laugh. "It's not like this would've lasted anyway."