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Nine Years Ago
    The kiss tasted like beer. And his hands were sliding under the edge of her top. Eliza’s stomach turned and she pushed the guy away.
    He stumbled back. “What? You wanted it.”
    She wiped her mouth. “No.” All she’d wanted to do was kiss a guy without her braces on. Turns out they didn’t make much difference. She certainly didn’t want what he was offering. Ew. He was one of her brother’s friends and she hardly knew him.
    “Don’t be a tease.” He ran his finger along the strap of her top, then hooked his finger underneath. “No one likes a tease.”
    Her heart gave a sudden squeeze of panic and began sprinting even though she wasn’t moving. He leaned closer and she froze. The two bottles of beer she’d drank churned in her stomach like on off-balance washing machine. The kitchen gave a little twirl. She put her hand on the counter to steady herself. The noise from the music pumped through the air. She needed to get away, get some fresh air.
    His hand tightened on the strap. He tugged her closer as she pulled back and the delicate fabric snapped. Backed against the counter she had nowhere left to go. None of her brother’s other friends came in, and if she yelled, no one would hear her over the music. She had to get rid of him.
    “Why don’t you get me another beer?” She forced a smile while her hand was making sure she was still decent. The top stayed up, held by one equally flimsy strap on the other side.
    “That’s more like it.” He stepped back. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
    She waited until he’d left the kitchen, counted to ten for him to get to the laundry where the beer was sitting the trough full of ice, then she slipped out of the kitchen. The lounge room was full of people dancing, kissing—she averted her eyes—and doing possibly more. Matt’s university friends filled their parents’ house, and he was nowhere to be seen. No doubt he was upstairs in his room with his girlfriend. If Dad was here, he’d have a heart attack. He’d said no parties, and usually Matt listened. This was the first time he’d broken the no-party rule. And she’d been keen to join in and act older than her sixteen years.
    It had been fun at first, drinking beer and dancing. Catching a boy’s eye and getting kissed—right up until he’d thought she was going to put out and the beer hit her stomach like a kick so all she wanted to do was lie down or throw up. She still wasn’t sure which one would happen first.
    With one hand on the wall for balance, Eliza stuck to the edge of the crowd. She didn’t relax until she reached the stairs. She’d had enough of the party, the music pounded too loud in her head, and the crush of bodies made her claustrophobic. Her foot slipped on the stair. She grabbed the rail and pulled herself up. When she got to her room, she was going to lie down. But there were more stairs than she remembered, and her legs didn’t want to obey. Maybe she should sit down for a moment? Halfway up she saw the guy coming back with the beer. And he saw her.
    “Shit.” She ran up the rest of the stairs even though they were jumping around beneath her feet. She looked over her shoulder. He was following and getting closer.
    She needed somewhere to hide. Bathroom? She tried the handle but it was locked. Her bedroom was at the end of the corridor, opposite Matt’s. The guy was almost up the stairs. She wasn’t going to lead him to her bedroom. The nearest room was her parents’. She opened the door and shut it behind her with her back against the wood. Had he seen?
    “I know where you are,” he sung out.
    The door rattled against her back. Oh God. She held her breath, but her heartbeat drowned out all other noise. Her gaze darted around the dark room for places to hide. Under the bed? Wardrobe? Beer climbed up her throat. No.
    He gave the door a shove and she ran, crossing the carpet in unsteady steps made worse by the heels. She went into the bathroom, closed the