No freaking way. It couldn't be. Not tonight.

I looked up and Ezra was standing on the opposite side of the table, pushing his hair back from his face. His eyes narrowed for a brief second as he looked at the guy who had cornered me. His eyes were still bloodshot and cloudy. He had to be spending all his nights partying. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

The brown-haired guy released my dress and backed away, smiling.

"Oh shit, sorry, Ez. I had no idea." He apologized. "So, this is the infamous Riley. I'm Sean. Ezra's roommate. So, he finally got you to come home with him. I thought he was just making you up."

Sean reached out his hand towards me and I flinched away. Sean laughed hysterically at my reaction.

"It's ok. I won't bite you." He smirked. "Well, maybe I will if the big man over there says I can."

Ezra shrugged his shoulders at me. He looked like he couldn't care less if this jerk touched me. What the hell was going on? None of this felt right. Ezra seemed unaffected; something was not right with him. Old Ezra would not have let this guy anywhere near me.

Sean reached over to the bottle and grabbed another glass. He poured three more shots, pushing one to Ezra and then another one in front of me. 

"Drink up, kids.  It's a party."  He said, lifting his glass to his lips.

"I'm going to go find Brynn." I said, trying to push past the Sean guy. He moved closer to me, blocking me in again. I looked back towards Ezra and couldn't believe he hadn't moved to knock this guy out. He used to threaten people for just looking at me. Now he was just standing there smiling like an idiot.

"You have to finish that first."  Sean said, pointing to the glass in front of me.

I looked back at Ezra for a little help and he shrugged at me again. I scowled at him, which only caused him to raise his eyebrow, mocking me.

"You heard the man, drink up beautiful." Ezra reached down to the table and nudged the glass in my direction. He picked up his own and poured it into his mouth.

I crossed my arms over my chest, defiantly. Ezra was not going to tell me what to do.

"Open that pretty little mouth and swallow." Sean leaned in, whispering darkly in my ear. He placed his hand on the small of my back and I tried to push him away from me. I had to do anything I could to get out of this predicament.

I picked up the glass and poured it down my throat, looking at Ezra the whole time. I slammed it down, angrily on the table.

"Now, move." I said, pushing at Sean to get him out of my way. He stepped back to let me pass.

"Ez, you need to put a leash on this one. I've got one upstairs if you want it." Sean laughed as he poured himself another shot and threw it back.

"I've tried. She won't let me." Ezra said, pulling the corner of his mouth up with a wicked smile.

I rushed out of the corner and stormed past Ezra, careful not to make contact with him as I went by. His arms were too long and he was able to catch my wrist to spin me around.

"We need to talk." His tone was hard and aggressive.

"Ezra, I have nothing to say to you. I already told you." I snapped at him while trying to snatch my arm back. He clenched my wrist like he had done to me a million times before. I pulled and twisted, trying to break free from him.

"You will talk to me." His bloodshot eyes were burning with anger.

He yanked my arm to pull me closer to him.  I dug my nails into his hand and was able to finally pry his fingers off me. He reached back out for me and I jumped back, hitting the table. Some of the shot glasses wobbled and fell to the floor, shattering.

"Don't you ever touch me again."  I screamed at him.

"Just come here." He said, moving towards me.

I sidestepped him when he reached out and he stumbled into the table, knocking a bottle off. The adrenaline was kicking in and I fled out of the room.  I needed to find Brynn. I had to get out of this place before he did something else to me. 

My fingers and lips began tingling as I stumbled from room to room, searching for her.  I looked everywhere on the main floor and stopped everyone I passed. The alcohol was starting to hit me and I had to concentrate to remember who I was searching for.

"Have you seen a girl in a red skirt?"  I placed my hands on some random guy's chest to look up at him.  He shrugged at me while I stood there, rubbing my hands over him. "Did you check upstairs?"

"That's a good idea."  I told him, patting his chest. "Thank you so very much, Mister."

I stepped around him, tripping over my feet and fell into the wall.  I walked along, holding it until I found the staircase.

"That's a lot of steps." I yelled out loud to no one in particular.

I started to climb up the stairs to go look for her.  I didn't care what she was doing with the green-haired guy. I needed her help to get me out of here and get me home.  About halfway up the stairs, they began multiplying and moving underneath my feet.

"This escalator is not working right." I laughed, trying to hold onto the banister. 

I couldn't find the right place to put my foot to go up anymore.  I was stuck. I was teetering back when large hands pulled me up off my feet by my armpits. I didn't even need to look to know it was Ezra.

"Let go of me." I screamed while tugging and fighting to try to break free from him.

He carried me the rest of the way up the stairs and then dragged me past a large group of people congregating in the hall.

A few of the people looked over at us, but no one made a move to stop him. They didn't care that he was dragging me towards a room like a small child.  No one cared that I didn't want to go with him. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I had no one here who would help me.

Ezra pushed open the door and pulled me inside, locking it behind us.  He pulled me in front of him and backed me up to a short dresser against the wall. His fingertips dug into my hips and he lifted me up to sit down on it.

He used his hands to push my knees apart to stand between them. My fear was replaced by anger with a twinge of desire to have him against me again. I couldn't do this to myself. Ezra was clearly not in his right mind and I had too much to drink. I would be lying to myself again if I thought I could change him.

"I love you, Riley. I knew you would come back to me." Ezra ran his lips along my collarbone.

He placed his hands on the dresser next to my parted thighs. His eyes slowly lowered down where my legs were spread and he studied the garter that hooked to my stockings. My dress had ridden up a bit, exposing the lacy black fabric.

"Ezra, I want to leave." My voice was trembling with my anger and overwhelming desire for him.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, baby." He leaned in and moved his mouth up and down my neck sending shivers down my spine.

His large hand ran up my thigh as he wrapped his other arm around my waist to pull my hips forward off the dresser.  He looked down with a smile and hooked his finger underneath the strap that held the garter in place. His finger slowly started inching up my thigh towards my panties.

"Did you wear this for me? You are such a good girl. Let me see." He whispered in my ear. He began to pull my dress up over my hips.

"You do not get to touch me." I said, pushing him back as hard as I could.

Ezra was caught off guard and stumbled back from me. His face was illuminated by the small light coming from a table lamp. I could see how bloodshot his eyes were. What the hell was going on with him?

"You came to my place wearing that little dress. Now you are in my fucking room with your legs open. What did you think was going to happen?" He threw his hands up in frustration.

"I didn't know this was your place.  I didn't even know you would be here. I would have never come to this party if I thought I would have to see you again."  I screamed at him. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Riley, don't fucking say that. You don't mean it." His face fell, losing the arrogance it normally held.

"Please leave me alone." I sobbed.

"I need you, beautiful. I'm dying without you." He begged for me with tears forming in his eyes. He stepped forward and pulled my hips to him again. He pushed himself against me as his hands desperately engulfed my body. He grabbed my breasts with both hands and kissed every inch of my skin he could find as he cried into my shoulder. I shoved him back again and pulled my dress down.

"I said, do not touch me." I reflexively grabbed my stomach to hold the pain I was feeling inside. He looked down at my hands and his eyes lingered where our baby used to be. He shook his head and pulled at his hair. He stumbled back unsteady on his feet.

"Don't fucking do that." He said, pointing to where my hand was holding the memory, trying to protect it. "Don't you dare throw that back in my face right now."

"You may be able to run away from it without looking back, but I can't.  The emptiness is always with me. It never goes away. It's all I have left." I said, crying, wishing I could feel the little knot again.

"Fuck!" He screamed, clawing at his face. His eyes were swollen and wet when he finally pulled his hands away. He began to open his mouth like he was going to say something but stopped. He shook his head and walked out the door without another word.

Ezra left me sitting on the dresser, alone and cold. I felt so small. My head was spinning from the mixture of Ezra and the alcohol I had consumed. It was just too much to handle.

This was the end of the night for me and I was going home whether I found Brynn or not.

I dropped off the dresser and almost fell on my butt when I landed. I held onto the wall and stumbled down the stairs holding onto the loose banister.

"Wait, where are you going?" I heard Sean's voice call behind me when I got to the bottom of the stairs. 

"Away."  I slurred back at him.

"Did you tell Ezra you were leaving?" He asked, following me through the living room.

"Nope and I'm not going to."  I said, pushing through a group of people talking.  My hand was on the doorknob, pulling it open.  I tripped through the doorway and fell on my hands and knees on the ground. 

Sean bent down and picked me up. He wrapped his arm around my waist and began to walk me towards the driveway.

"Let me take you back to your place then." He smiled at me.

Sean started guiding me to the passenger side of the parked car. He opened the car door and tried to get me to climb in.  When I looked over, instead of seeing Sean's face, it was replaced by angry Ezra. I could remember his rough hands throwing me into the dark sedan the night of the accident.  I flashed to the dark, twisting road and heard the metal closing in around us.

I jumped back and shook it away. Sean was staring at me with a confused expression.

"No." I said, throwing my hands up. I backed away and started to stumble down the street.

"Come on, Riley, I won't tell him if you won't."  Sean called behind me.

I waved him away and continued my drunken walk home.