I couldn’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t think that all men were assholes. Well, maybe when I was younger I thought they were jerks or dummies, but bottom line… assholes.

It’s possible that I never gave many men a chance, but after what happened to me I didn’t see why I should have. I didn’t need them. I didn’t care to waste my time. What I needed was to focus on my future and make something for myself.

I never wanted to be the woman that depended on anyone for anything. Which is why I went to medical school.

It was the perfect plan for someone like me who wanted to avoid relationships. Going to school would consume tons of my time. I’d always have an excuse as to why I couldn’t go out on dates or out to the bar. I would always be busy.

Not that I was out seeking suitors anyway, I most definitely wasn’t, but my mother and my best friend Tallie were always trying to set me up. First it was the hot neighbor, then it was my mom’s best friend’s son who was obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. He lived with his mother in her basement. I wouldn’t have had a problem with his gaming really, it was the living in his parent's basement that bothered me. Well, and my whole “men are assholes” mindset too.

I didn’t want to be set-up. All I wanted was to focus on my future and eventually have my dream job helping others.

Not only did I want to be a doctor, I wanted to be the best doctor. But being the best came at a price. A price I wasn’t even sure I could pay.

For the last three years, I’d been living with my brother in his two-bedroom apartment. Obviously, it wasn’t an ideal situation, but he didn’t charge me full price. I could afford to live with him despite the heavy cost of medical school, which was a big plus.

My brother, Wyatt, had a good job and he was gone much of the time. We’d always gotten along, so it wasn’t hard to make it work.

Of course, he said when I was a millionaire doctor I had to pay him back with interest, but I was pretty sure he’d been kidding. Although, then again, maybe he hadn’t been… he did like money.

To keep things from getting too uncomfortable, we had a rule. A very important rule. And it was extremely easy for me to hold up on my end.

The rule was to never bring a date back to the apartment. All hooking up had to take place elsewhere, and of course, I never brought anyone back for sex, or for any reason at all.

“Shit,” I said, hitting the steering wheel with my palms. I was about a block away from the apartment when I realized I had forgotten it was my turn to figure out dinner.

It wouldn’t have been the first time I had forgotten, but I didn’t want to put up with Wyatt’s annoying complaints so against my better judgment I pulled into the local fast food chicken joint. I ordered up far more food than we’d eat because we both liked having leftovers. We definitely weren’t great at keeping the fridge and cupboards stocked.

After I had the food, I continued the short drive back to our place. As the scent wafted through the air, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten a chance to eat anything. I was pretty sure I’d skipped lunch, and quite possibly breakfast. Although, I did remember having a large cup of black coffee at some point during the day.

The second I pulled into my parking spot at the apartment, I dug through the bag and pulled out a chicken leg. I hungrily took a bite and walked up to our front door.

I stuck the chicken leg between my teeth as I inserted the key into the lock. I twisted the doorknob with my greasy hand and pushed my way inside, somehow managing to carry the food and my book bag.

My foot kicked at the door, trying to close it behind me. I pushed my backside against it to make sure it was closed.

I leaned back against the door, impressed I’d managed to not drop anything. I looked up at the table, and it wasn’t just my brother staring at me with the chicken leg hanging out of my mouth… my brother had a guest.

Great.

Sitting at the table with him was pretty much the last person on the entire planet I would want to see. Chicken leg or no chicken leg, as far as I was concerned, he could go to hell.

“Um, can I help you with any of that?” Wyatt said, standing up and walking towards me. It looked like he didn’t know if he should laugh or be embarrassed for me.

My jaw started to feel numb, and I was sure the chicken leg was going to fall out of my mouth and drop to the floor. I nodded awkwardly at my brother, and he grabbed the bags from my hands.

He looked at me and blinked several times. I quickly reached up and removed the flavorful chicken leg from my mouth.

“Everything OK?” Wyatt whispered.

“I didn’t eat all day,” I said, as though that would explain everything. Thomas, my brother’s best friend since high school, smiled and nodded at me.

“You remember Thomas, don’t you, Lacey?” my brother said as he set the food down on the table.

“Yes,” I said stiffly. My stomach turned, and I could feel my appetite disappearing. My breath started to feel as though it was getting caught somewhere between my nose and my lungs. It felt as though I was going to choke even though I no longer had the chicken in my mouth.

“I have to… um… go,” I said, walking as fast as I could away from the table. I didn’t look back at them as I opened my door and disappeared from the living room. If only I could disappear altogether.

I felt like slamming the door closed, but I didn’t. Instead, I closed the door so quietly it was probably just as awkward as if I had slammed it.

I couldn’t believe after all this time, Thomas was here. Surely he remembered everything that had happened. And if my brother had known what had happened, apparently he didn’t give a shit how I felt about it.

Asshole.

Thomas was the reason, the whole reason, that I figured out all men were assholes. And here he is, sitting at my kitchen table as if he doesn’t even know what an asshole he is.