somehow had to get into the projection room—which, to be fair, wasn’t terribly difficult, as Gavin and I had discovered—put in the hard drive with their movie, and get out again without getting caught.
They’d posted me as a lookout, but I wondered if they should have given this job to someone less jumpy. Every time anyone got within twenty feet of the building, I had the urge to call and warn them.
From where I was standing, I could just see the big screen. The regularly scheduled movie had already started and it was still playing. So far no one had come out of the building, Baileys or otherwise. My mind conjured up all sorts of things that might be happening in there. Most of them were probably wildly unrealistic. I doubted they’d discovered a serial killer victim or stopped a murder from happening. I imagined them bursting in on the psychopathic drive-in movie operator. The ensuing scuffle would rage on while the innocent movie-goers were none the wiser.
I wondered if I could work that into a book somehow.
Asher, Evan, and Levi, along with Grace, Cara, Fiona, and Ginny waited on a little hill just outside the theater where they could see the screen. Gavin, Logan, and I would meet them there once the hard drive was in place.
I took a deep breath to help slow my racing heart. It was dark and I was in the shadows of the trees. The likelihood of anyone seeing me was very low.
In fact, if I was being honest, I felt more exhilaration than anxiety.
This was fun.
A couple of months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined myself doing something like this. Then again, since meeting Gavin, I’d done a lot of things I wouldn’t have imagined before.
I really liked this version of me. I’d never be a daredevil, but maybe I had a little more courage than I’d once thought.
The back door of the concession building opened and Logan, then Gavin walked out. They both tugged on the brims of their baseball caps, then stuffed their hands in their pockets and walked toward me. I marveled at their ability to act so casual. My feet tingled with the desire to turn around and run, and I wasn’t the one out in the open.
Excitement flared as they got closer. “Did you do it?” I whispered
Gavin flashed me a wide smile. “Oh yeah. It was touch and go there for a minute, but I think we did everything right.”
“Of course we did everything right,” Logan said. “Let’s get to the viewing spot.”
We ducked through a hole in the fence and crept back to Gavin’s truck. The viewing spot was around the other side of the drive-in, up a small hill. Everyone waited for us in camping chairs, bundled up against the chilly fall air.
“Are we good?” Levi asked.
“All systems are go,” Gavin said.
We took our seats. Asher and Grace passed around binoculars. Logan produced a pair of opera glasses, which struck me as rather random, but no one else commented on it.
Levi and Logan had put something in the hard drive that would allow them to start the movie remotely.
“Do it, rice-a-broni,” Logan said.
Levi nodded and tapped his phone screen a few times.
Holding my breath, I lifted the binoculars to my eyes. The screen went blank and we were just close enough to hear the faint sound of people shouting to turn it back on.
For a few seconds, nothing. Just a blank screen.
It lit up again and a cheer rose up from the movie goers. A second later, the opening credits started rolling, and the cheering died.
I stifled a giggle at the credits. A Bailey Brothers Production. Bailey Dancing—they’d even used a font that looked like the original movie poster. Starring Logan Bailey, Gavin Bailey, Asher Bailey, and Evan Bailey. Produced and Directed by Levi Bailey.
A chorus of boos rang up from the movie-goers below.
Gavin and his brothers flew to their feet, fists in the air. They whooped and hollered and high-fived each other.
“Is it still going?” Logan asked, lifting his opera glasses to his eyes. “We jammed the door shut, but I don’t know how long it’ll take them to get in and turn it off.”
“It’s playing,” Grace said. “Did you guys do the whole movie?”
“Nah, it’s only about ten minutes long. More like a highlight reel.”
“Oh my god, Gavin, did you play Baby?” Fiona asked.
“Yep. No one puts me in a corner either,” he said.
I watched through the binoculars, laughing so hard it was difficult