Free The Love Story (The Things We Can't Change Book 4) by Kassandra Kush

hear Zeke’s voice behind me and it only makes me walk faster, telling myself furiously that I need to knock it off and stop being so dramatic. I fight through the crowd, wishing my locker wasn’t so far away from the front doors and that Zeke wasn’t so tall that he could probably see me over everyone’s heads.
    Tiffany’s face suddenly appears in my vision, a fake, cooing sympathetic smile on her lips. “Awe, look, it’s the crybaby!”
    I have to stop or I’ll run right into her and she’s backed up by the usual gang. Chantal and Grace are just behind her with Josh and Aaron. Josh is sporting a black eye and looks in much worse shape than Zeke does. My shoes squeak on the polished floors as I come to a hard stop, but before anyone can say another word on either side, a big hand grasps my bicep. I don’t panic because I know exactly who it is.
    “Is there a fucking problem here?” Zeke asks, the hard glint back in his eyes as he faces down all five of them. “Because if there is, we can handle it the way we did on Saturday. I’ve got no problem picking up where we left off.”
    They all stare at him in silence for a moment and then, unbelievably, they turn as one and leave us alone. I’m so shocked that I don’t start walking until Zeke gives me a little prod. Then all my prior problems come rushing back and I begin to walk away from him again. I want to give him space, and moreover, I want space from him .
    “Evie, come on, wait up!” he calls after me, giving chase once more.
    His words echo over and over in my mind and I find myself battling tears once more, though I keep my head well down this time and make it to my locker unscathed. I’d hoped he would give up and just go about his own day, but a moment later Zeke is standing next to me as I spin my combination with trembling fingers.
    “What the heck was that?” he asks, leaning his left shoulder against the wall of lockers.
    “You sounded like you wanted some space.” My voice is actually trembling and I wish I could just die right there on the spot. I jerk my locker open instead. “I was just trying to give it to you.”
    “That’s bullshit,” Zeke says, though without real anger. “Look, I’m sorry-”
    A piece of paper flutters out of my locker and I catch a glimpse of familiar handwriting that makes me feel sick inside. Zeke stops talking and reaches for it but I frantically snatch it away before he can see what it says. There’s a moment of silence between us where Zeke stares at me curiously, and then his eyes narrow in suspicion.
    “What is that?” he asks, nodding toward the hand with the paper.
    “Nothing,” I say much too quickly, crinkling the paper in my fist. “It was nothing.”
    “If you won’t let me see it, it must be something,” Zeke says, stating the obvious. “Let me see it.”
    “It’s nothing,” I insist, knowing it’s useless. Zeke always has a way of worming out my secrets. This will undoubtedly be no different.
    Sure enough, he reaches over and tries to take the paper from me. I pull away, resisting and evading but it lasts all of twenty seconds before he overpowers me and snatches the paper away. He flattens out the wrinkles and I dare to read it with him.
    How much do you charge for rape these days?
    Zeke’s entire body goes stiff and I can see the moment that his hands begin to tremble. “Evie,” he says in a low, articulate voice. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him use this tone before. “Who put this in your locker?”
    “I don’t know,” I say, stubbornly truthful. I know which group of people may have put it in my locker, but I don’t know which of them did it and I will never be able to prove it.
    Zeke looks up at me, his eyes snapping with unbridled fury. “ Who ?” he snaps. “Evie, this is… this is disgusting. How long have they been leaving notes like this? This isn’t the first one, is it? You knew what it was. Who is doing it?”
    All of the sudden, anger floods over