Page 19 of Crash & Burn

Now that we are a week away, I’m a little nervous these guitar lessons I agreed to are going to occupy my mind more than they should.

Maybe Mia will tell mewhyshewanted to learn how to play guitarall of a sudden, and then I won’t have to wonder anymore and I can teach her without being distracted.

But why does that feel like it isn’t a possibility?

Either way, I have no idea how the hell someone could say no to her when she looks at them with those big brown eyes.

I shake my head at myself as I open the door to the warehouse where Theo and Silas are waiting. They haven’t caught me alone all week, and I’m 99 percent sure they are about to use this moment as an opportunity to ask me what my interestisin our buddy’s little sister since Mateo isn’t here yet.

“There he is,” Silas says as I walk into the warehouse. He’s messing with his bass as Theo plugs his electric guitar into his amp.

“Long time, no talk, lover boy.” Theo teases as he loops his guitar around his neck. “I see your lessons start today. Tell me, besides guitar, what else will you be teachingourlittle Mia?”

Theo and Silas laughing like hyenas at 8AMon a Saturday morning is the work of nightmares, and there is something about the way he says “our” that makes my blood heat up a few degrees.

“Just remember to be careful,” Silas adds. “Rocky and her brother aren’t scared to throw a punch when assholes get a little too comfortable.”

I want to remind Silas thatheis one of those assholes who learned that the hard way, but I ignore them as I set my guitar case by the table in the corner where Mia will be sitting when she isn’t taking pictures.

I asked Mateo if he needed me to bring Mia another one of my older guitars, but he said she had her own. I didn’t think much of it, but now I can’t help but wonder why she has a guitar when neither she nor Mateo play.

“Seriously, Ramirez. Do you have a death wish or do you just enjoy pain?” Theo asks.

“Am I supposed to know what that means?” I walk over to my drum set and sit down before tapping the bass drum a few times and adjusting my cymbal stands.

“What about Mateo’s warning of any of us evenlookingat his sister with questionable intentions makes you think that giving her private guitar lessons is a good idea?” he asks.

“It’s not like that,” I clarify, not even trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.

“Ha, of course it isn’t.” Theo laughs. “Are you going to have her sit on your lap as you wrap your arms around her?”

“And will you interlock your fingers as you help her find the right chords,” Silas adds like the hopeless romantic he pretends to be to get laid.

I’m holding on to my drum sticks so hard that they are about to snap, and it’s taking everything in me to not walk over there and shove one down each of their throats.

“She’ll be begging you to keep her your dirty little secret in no time.” Theo laughs, and that does it.

I’m going to kill him.

I push off my stool and march over to him as he and Silas snicker like little girls.

I grab him by the collar of hisT-shirt and bring his face to mine.

I usually don’t have a problem with Theo, or Silas for that matter. They are two of my closest friends, right behind Mateo, Emmett, and Luke. But in this moment, I don’t care who the fuck he is. Growing up as the oldest in my family, my protective instincts have always been strong. That’s why I always admired Mateo’s protectiveness over Mia. With the anger I try to keep buried starting to cloud my vision, Theo looks less like my friend and more like a man with no respect for women.

And I’ve dealt with enough of those in my life.

“Don’t talk about Mia like that,” I spit. “Ever.”

Theo’s face shows nothing but surprise with a lick of fear, but it quickly contorts to a smirk when he realizes that he pushed a button I didn’t even know was there.

“Noted,” he says before stepping out of my grip. He’s lucky he’s my friend; otherwise, his ass would be on the floor right now. Silas watches with a smirk of his own, and as my anger subsides, I know I fucked up.

I just gave them one more reason to believe that agreeing to these guitar lessons had more to do withwhoI would be teaching over anything else.

“What’s going on?” I hear as the warehouse door closes behind Mateo and Mia who, luckily, got here a few seconds after the situation that just played out calmed down. “Everything okay here?” Mateo asks when the three of us stay quiet.

I clear my throat. “Yeah, all good,” I say, but I don’t know how convincing I sound.

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