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prologue

Jason

I tipped back the lukewarm Corona and glanced at the flickering TV. Alone. Again.

A knock sounded at the door.

I ignored it and reached for another slice of pizza. How long had I been sitting in my living room? I hadn’t a clue.

I’d lost track of a lot of things in the past week.

My truck door, for one — my fault.

My heart — her fault.

My balls — the universe’s fault and an unfortunate run-in with lightning… more to come on that later.

And finally — my ability to move on.

It’s easy the first time you move on from a lost love. Life happens, days go by, and you chalk it up to the fact that you were immature and stupid. Hell, you were eighteen. What did you even know at eighteen? I’d been a virgin until her.

So honestly? Nothing. I hadn’t known a damn. Thing.

The second time you miss that opportunity to love — well, that’s when things go to shit.

Exhibit A: my parents’ house. Takeout boxes littered every inch of space, beer bottles totem-poled the boxes, and something smelled.

I sniffed my armpit.

That something was me.

I glanced down the hallway. Too much effort in trying to get clean. What the hell was the point anyway? She was gone. Again. I was alone. Again.

And you know the really sick part?

Before she’d come stomping back into my life, I’d been completely okay with it! I’d finally settled into my job at the local police department. I had great friends, was remodeling up my parents’ house, and I had the promise of a goat—

Don’t ask.

The point? Everything had been fine until Maddy Summers decided to screw me over.

The knocking got louder.

“Not home!” I yelled.

The door burst open.

Not my best friend, Max, walked into the house, his feet kicking empty boxes. My best friend Colton, followed along with Reid, Max’s brother, goat tucked under his arm and his nose scrunched up as if I was the animal, not the crazy mammal he was carrying.

“Dude.” Max shook his head. “You stink.”

Colton winced as a piece of pizza, that had somehow found its way to my ceiling, fell to the ground, narrowly missing his shoes. “Jason…”

“Guys!” I forced a smile. “I’m fine!”

“You’re not fine!” Max yelled. “You’re a pig in your own filth! You smell, your house is a mess, and I saw at least two good-sized rats leaving through the front door — meaning you’ve even managed to scare rodents! Pull yourself together!”

I burped. “You gonna slap me now?”