Ezra's POV

I stand in the hallway of Rosewood High after my last class of the day. A worried gasp escapes my lips when I see Aria Montgomery rushing by me. I know her well enough to tell that Aria is furious, upset, and worst of all hurt. Even though Aria and I broke up recently, I love her just as much as I always have. Out of sheer instinct I follow Aria, making my presence unknown to her. The 5'2 brunette runs into the boys locker room as quickly as her legs can carry her. I peer into the locker room through the open door, while I hide behind a row of lockers.

" Excuse me." Aria says angrily as she rushes by a group of jocks.

She walks straight up to a boy named Conor and says, "Hi. I need to talk to you."

" Can't get enough can she?" A lacrosse player in the room says to Conor.

Aria looks around at the jocks surrounding her, but doesn't hesitate to take another step towards Conor.

" Alright in case you or any of your friends are confused, you kissed me, I pushed you off, and then you left. Alright, that's what happened. That's all that happened okay." Aria says to Conor before she turns to walk away.

A startled look washes over Conor's face. He quickly regains his composure and says, "Quite the innocent virgin act."

" Ohhhh." The jocks chant.

Aria turns around before asking, " What are you talking about?"

" Everybody knows you and Mr. Fitz weren't just scrabble buddies." Conor says with a cocky grin.

Aria's eyes grow wide with fear before she says, "Excuse me?"

" How many points do you get for the word slut?" Conor asks with a smirk.

Rage fills my body as I watch those jerks laugh, whistle, and catcall at Aria. That girl is anything but a slut, and I can't let this charade continue. Conor crossed the line the minute he insulted Aria. I walk up to the doorway of the locker room, Aria turns around right as I do so. Aria looks at me with wide eyes, she is at an utter loss for words. I try to hide the anger I have towards Conor, the man who is causing my body to tremble with furry.

" Mrs. Montgomery, you shouldn't be in here." I tell her gently.

Aria looks at me angrily before storming out of the boys locker room. I let those boys treat her like garbage, she has every right to hate me. I stare at Conor hatefully, and he looks away obviously intimidated. I shake my head and leave the locker room, desperate to find Aria and offer her some form of condolence.

I'm not surprised when I find Aria sitting alone on the stairway. Aria's hands cover her beautiful face, hiding the tears that fall from her hazel eyes.

I walk up to Aria and ask, "Are you okay?"

Aria avoids eye contact, and focuses her attention in front of her. She sighs sadly and shakes her head.

I walk closer to her before asking, " What happened in there? Before I came in."

She ignores my question and continues to avoid eye contact.

I look at her and say, " Aria those guys are jerks. You can't just let some stupid rumor get to you."

Aria finally looks up at me and says, " It's not just some stupid rumor if there's some truth to it Ezra."

Aria is referring to our relationship. I always knew that being involved with Aria was dangerous for me, but I never though about how it might affect her. Because of me, the boys at school are categorizing Aria as a slut. I have to fix this mess for her sake.

Aria seems to know what I'm thinking. She grabs her purse and says, " Look, you cannot be the guy that helps me feel better anymore. Don't you get that? Just stay away from me, please."

I stand on the stairwell as Aria storms away. As much as I hate to admit it, Aria is right. I can't continue to hover over her like I did when we were still together. Aria needs space, she deserves space. Openly protecting Aria won't help her, but maybe doing it behind her back will.

Line Break

I stand in the doorway of the Rosewood Coffee Shop and watch Aria, she is sitting at a table and talking to Emily. I can't help but notice how sad she looks. Seeing Aria sad is like watching an angel die. I want to run up to Aria, forget about the world, and hold her in my arms until she feels happy and safe again. My jaw clenches when I see Conor walk past Aria and glare at her. Her shoulders immediately tense up and a look of fear washes over her face. Aria looks in my direction, and our eyes immediately lock. I look away and remind myself that I'm not here to admire Aria, I'm here to get some payback on the man who hurt her.

I run to the parking lot and find Conor's car. The windows are open, so I reach into the car and grab his lacrosse stick. I use the stick to smash the windows of his car. I get more and more angry as I strike the car with all the force that I have in my body. I'm angry at Conor for making up rumors about Aria and calling her a slut. I'm angry at the jocks for believing Conor and treating Aria like garbage. I'm mostly angry at the universe. Despite the undying love that I have for Aria and all the obstacles we've overcome, the universe won't let us be together. I pull out a can of spray paint and write, "LIAR" on Conor's car.

" Stop it! That's my car!" I hear Conor yell as he leaves the Coffee Shop.

I pull up my hoodie and flee the scene as quickly as possible. Nobody hurts my Aria, not Conor, not Mona, and certainly not A. Even though we aren't together, Aria is the love of my life. Aria will be mine one day, I'm sure of it. We are soul mates.

I started working on this after I saw Tuesday's episode. The scene between Aria and Ezra broke my heart, and this is what I wish would have happened. I might write one or two more chapters if I get a lot of positive feedback. Thanks for reading and please review :).