Reputation: Book One

Tripp

Can't Sleep Without You- Brett Young

Crazy Girl- Eli Young Band

Birthday- Katy Perry

I hear someone's feet pound against my hardwood floors as they start on a run. I was confused at first, but then got anxious with the quickening pace and the closer it sounded. My heart stops for a few beats as they jump onto my bed, their feet on each side of my legs.

"Tripp!" A female voice screams, jumping up and down on my mattress. I groan, my lower half bobbing up and down with her weight.

"Autumn, are you serious?" I croak, peeking out from under the blankets. I sit up and shove her off, a loud thump echoing off my empty walls as she hit the ground.

"Ow," She whines, standing back up and rubbing her elbow as she glares at me. "You bastard!" She barks, flicking her long hair over her shoulder again. "Get your ass up!" She rips the blanket off of me, the immediate cold air against my bare skin made me shiver.

"Do you know what today is?" She hisses.

"Uhh," I glance over to my Google to see the date. "Thursday?" I say in a stupid voice.

"Well, yes," she says, climbing back onto my bed and wiping her hands on her jeans. "But no."

I furrow my eyebrows. I finally began to wake up and the situation became very unclear. How the hell did she even get in? I swore I locked the door last night after coming home...

"Wait, " I stop, glancing over at my bedroom door to stare through my living room and at my entryway. The door was still locked.
"How did you even get into my house?" I ask, my voice cracking.

"Your dining room window was unlocked and the blinds were pulled up," She tells me seriously. "You know, it's better for me to break in than a criminal because you were conked out," She rants. "Like, you could've been killed. You didn't even hear me fall in!"

I wave my hand dismissively and roll my eyes. "Okay, that's great, A. Now I'm gonna go back to sleep now-"
"No!" She shrieks, jumping again. "It is Qrow's birthday!" She roars. My eyes locked onto hers. Now she had my attention.

"Wait, what?" I blurt, sitting up and tossing my sheets over my legs.

"Uh, yeah," She says unintelligently. "It's your boyfriend's birthday, and you just... forgot?" She snarls. I set my mouth in a straight line.

"I wouldn't have if he had told me," I shoot back, swaying my head.

"Well, he and Summer share a birthday, and you've known my sister longer than Qrow, so you should have that very well implanted in your brain," She says, tapping on the top of her head. "But, I just came to tell you that and also, there's a party being hosted at Summer's place tonight," She informs me, pushing her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose. "So you go take care of your baby boy and then we can all carpool over there. I got a sitter for the girls and-"
"Okay!" I yell, cutting her off.

God, this woman could just go on and on and on for hours if I didn't stop her.

"It was very thoughtful of you to come and remind me of some things," I sigh, stretching my arms over my head. "but I assure you, I will fulfill my calendar first. Now please leave," I smile. She gives me an annoyed look, picking her purse up off the floor and running a hand through her hair. Before she walks out, she turns back around, pointing a finger at me.

"I'm counting on you," she says. "Don't disappoint me."

* * *

"You know," Qrow starts, picking up a handful of bubbles. "I really have no idea why everybody is treating me so oddly today," He tells me, cocking his head as he blows them away. I arch an eyebrow.

Does he not know....?

"Did something happen that I don't know about?" He asks. I shrug, biting my bottom lip stud. He gives me a look. "Are you lying?" He asks suspiciously. I throw my head back, laughing. "No," I chuckle, sighing. "You're just so adorable." I smile.

"Uh huh," He mumbles, flicking water at me. I squeeze my eyes shut and look away as the cool water hits my face.

"You have such a nice freaking house and it pisses me off," He suddenly says, groaning as he looks over his shoulder to my porch.

"I can share," I wink, smirking. He gives me an unappreciative look. "Really?" He asks, his voice rising. "Because last time I checked, you stabbed my hand with your fork because I tried to eat out of your box of noodles," He tells me, bending his eyebrow over his eye.

"Okay," I start, taking in a patient breath. "Food and my living space are two totally different things," I point out. He makes an unsatisfied sound, pursing his lips.

"Yeah whatever," He teases, pulling his hair back and twisting it tightly, the water trickling down his arm and back into the pool. I raise my leg and kick water at him. "I just wrung my hair out," He snaps, splashing some back.

"That's what you get!" I cackle. He rolls his eyes.

"What time do we have to leave to go to your 'surprise'?" He asks, the submerged pool lights reflecting a gold colour off his face. I look up at the light blue and baby pink sunset.

"Soon," I tell him. "We should probably get out now and change."
Qrow gets up, walks over to the lawn table and grabs both towels. Water droplets poured from his shorts, running down his legs and puddling at his feet. I follow, grabbing the towel from him and wrapping it around the back of my head.

"Dry off before you go inside," I order. "You'll ruin my hardwood."
"Oh, whatever," He teases, swinging his towel around my back. He yanks me into him and I get a sudden wave of butterflies, aroused at his submissive confidence. "Let's go shower," He whispers.