Reputation: Book One

Tripp

I had little memory fragments of last night: hanging out with my boyfriend, getting drunk, riding with some girl I'm probably supposed to remeber, fighting in the car, and then crashing. Maybe because of the trauma or the alcohol streaming through my veins, I had no idea how or when I ended up here in the hospital. It took me forever to finally even realize who Qrow was, which made him really upset; he cried a few times infront of me, which made Autumn cry, too. I didn't want to make them sad. I didn't mean to. Although it feels like I'm always making Qrow cry.

As I scrolled through Qrow's photos and saw more of us and the family together, the more and more things I could piece together. It was still pretty muddy, but atleast I knew my team, whatever we do together. Idalia told me it would be a lot easier after my pain meds wore off and they knew my calf wouldn't get infected. I could go home in three days, which were the three longest days of my life. I did nothing for sixty hours straight except sleep, get poked by more needles, get taken in for testing, and talk to Qrow. Which I can't complain really about him: he's been here by my side ever since I got out of my first surgery and it's been... Nice to talk about absolutely nothing really relevant.

We have kissed a few times but I can't do anything, which sucks. I sit here, on the bed, doing nothing. Just imagine how awful it is being dominate and having to bottom. Every single time for the next month.

But, he brings me better food than what the hospital cafeteria serves, which is a total bonus. It's been twenty-four hours without my morphine which killed me, but it's not like I can take it home with me. So I have to get off of it somehow.

I hear my door click open and the ruffling of plastic bags. I eagerly sit up, waiting for Qrow to walk in with more food. I was starving, and he had been gone for well over an hour.

"Tripp?"

It was girl; an unfamiliar voice I didn't recognize. I slowly tense anxiously, staring my front curtain down until a small, slender hand wrapped around the hem and pulled it back. I let my eyes fall over her body, my eyes locking onto hers. One was green, one was blue. She was pretty, but I felt like I should know her...

"Who are you?" I ask, recoiling.

"To blame for you even being here," She says quietly, setting her plastic bag down on the short table below her knees. I raise my eyebrow and narrow my eyes. Damnit, what was her name?

"Casey?"

She looks up through her eyelashes as she bends over to tie her brown combat boot. "Jerzei?" She corrects.

I groan, laying back again and rubbing my face. Ah, my ex.

"Oh, hey," I murmur, my voice muffled behind my hands. "sorry, I'm trying to get back on track with this and names are just so hard for me," I pout.

"It's okay," She whispers, wiping her hands on her pants as she stands back up. She looks around the room, her eyes darting around as if she was searching for something.

"What is that?" I ask, eyeing the bag suspiciously.

"My salad and Qrow's coffee," She sighs. I give her a surprised look. "You talk to him again?"

She hisses through her teeth, grimacing. "No, not exactly... I'd hoped to beat him here so we could talk. Or I-" She pauses, her shoulders slightly bouncing as her voice breaks. "I really wish to talk to my brother."

For some reason, she wasn't looking me in the eye. She wouldn't even lift her face from the ground.

"Jerzei," I blurt, leaning forward. She finally glances up, her eyes red. She'd been crying. I feel a pang of sorrow shoot through me.

"It's okay," I say slowly.

"But it's not," She cries, collapsing into the chair Qrow pulled up to my bedside. "I was too busy yelling at you to even pay attention to the road and put not only our life in danger, but everyone else on the road," She covers her face with her hands, shaking her head as she cries. "What if I wouldn't have swerved? Hit that car head-on instead? I would've killed the driver and both of us, Tripp, and just thinking of that brings back so many horrific flashbacks..." Her voice got higher and higher until it couldn't take the strain anymore. "I already hurt you, and I feel so sick."

Her voice cracked and whole, guilty sobs racked her whole body. I pull her into me and she fists my gown in her palm, her warm breath soaking through my top, sticky against my skin beneath. I slowly rub her back, quietly exhaling through my mouth. I didn't blame Jerzei at all. Although everyone else did.

"Jerz, I probably deserved it in some shape or form of karma-"

"No," She blurts, wiping under her eyes with her thumbs. "You didn't deserve anything in exchange for what you did to me."

Her words knock my breath away and I stare at her, dumbstruck. Then, a thought arose in the back of my mind. "Then why did you drug me, Jerzilyn? What was that for?"

She sighs, looking away. "There's no excuse or reason good enough to try to explain that," She whispers. Beside me, I hear the door open, the metal sliding out of place shattering the silence. We both look up responsively, anticipating the guest's entry.

"Hey love, they did not have the stupid duck meat you wanted so I-"

Qrow pushed past the curtain with a large bag hanging from his fingertips by his waist, but stopped when his eyes found Jerzei lying next to me. They immediately narrowed in hate, anger flaming in his innocently calm colours.

"You," He clips, raising his lips. He steps forward aggressively, throwing the bag to the small table. Jerzei quickly scrambles off my bed and hides behind it, crouching in fear. "I-I can explain-"

"Why are you here?" His voice was low and cold. Jerzei presses her lips together and twiddles with her fingers. "Hey, Qrow, I thought I would be able to talk to you?"

She states it like a question.

He set his things on the table next to hers, training his eyes on her with every move.

"I-I just figured we could have a little chat about last weekend? I got you a coffee-"

"I don't want anything from you, Jerzilyn," He interrupts, straightening his posture. "You have done enough, now leave."

"Qrow, I know you're upset with me, but will you please just hear me out?" She pleads. He looks away. "No thank you," He says, his voice firm.

"Qrow, please-"

He spins around, leaning forward a bit to get in her face. "What did you even learn from our father? Does pleading ever work, Jerzei? Does pushing and digging ever leave the other person to give in or does it just piss them off?"

It was odd to watch him, being as short as he is, up in Jerzei's face who towers over him. Quite brave considering she had the full power to pick him up and toss him like a frisbee.

"Why?" She screams, making Qrow flinch. "I know you're pissed off, I get it, but why not at least talk to me so we can understand each other?" She yells. I raise my eyebrows, turning to Qrow as I wait for his response. His jaw was set and his eyes were closed- he was really running thin, but Jerzei was losing her composure.

"Jerzei, please leave. Now," He tells her, his voice impatient.

"But-"

"You saw what I did to our brother!" He shouts, pointing behind him to nowhere in particular. He lowers his voice, stepping closer to her until he was inches away from her body. He looks up to her, jabs a finger to her chest. Jerzei sets her jaw, grabbing the front of his shirt. My stomach lurches to my throat. No, no, no...

"And you saw Maya and the fleet left outside your castle walls to rot after the Three," She challenges. Qrow's lips part slightly and I hear his breath hitch in his nose. "Now, don't make me do the same thing to you," She snarls, shoving past him and storming out the door.