cap and situated my crutches under my arms while Skylar got out and shut the door.
“Can I put you on flashlight duty?” I asked. “It’s hard to do anything when I need my arms and legs just to walk.”
“Yep, I’ve got it.” She pulled out her phone and turned on the light, shining it in front of us. “Are you okay to walk through the woods in the dark with those things?”
“Sure, I’ll be fine.”
“You say that a lot.”
“What? That I’ll be fine?”
“Yeah.”
That was an interesting observation. “You’re probably right. But it’s true.”
“Okay, Gavin Bailey. I can’t quite believe you talked me into this, but lead the way.”
We crept through the woods, watching out for debris or other hazards that might make me fall flat on my face. When we got closer, we could see the glow of the movie screen, lighting up the clearing. The theater was at the end of the two-lane Icicle Road, a big turnaround providing the only way out. Cars were lined up in arc-shaped rows facing the screen and a building behind them housed the concession stand. Above that, the projector room.
I scoped things out as we got closer. There was a dilapidated chain-link fence surrounding the grounds, but I knew from experience there were at least three places where you could sneak in, the biggest one right in front of us.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” I said. “We’re going to go through that hole in the fence and stroll in like we belong there.”
“Aren’t people going to recognize you?”
“If they get a good look at me, yeah. But everyone’s paying attention to the movie.” I fiddled with the brim of my hat. “And the hat helps a little.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I’ve done it before. The key to this kind of thing is to act like you belong. Then no one notices you.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips. “I’m actually a little bit excited.”
“See? This is fun.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready to go that far.”
I nudged her with my elbow. “You’re going to do great.”
“What happens once we’re in?”
“We have to play things by ear. I’m pretty sure the projector room guy comes down sometimes, so I’m hoping we get lucky. Otherwise I’ll make something up and hope he doesn’t realize who I am.”
“This is a very loose plan, Gavin.”
“I’m good at improvising. It’s fine.”
She took another deep breath. “Let’s get this over with before I lose my nerve.”
We made our way closer and ducked through the fence. I knew the risk of someone recognizing me was higher because of my crutches. I’d been seen walking around town with them. But there was nothing I could do about that now.
Besides, Levi and Logan had said they didn’t think I could do it. I had to prove those dickheads wrong.
The smell of popcorn grew the closer we got to the concession stand. Skylar walked close to me, and from the corner of my eye, I could see her darting nervous glances at our surroundings. She was so fucking cute.
Most people were in their cars, watching the movie. A handful of customers lingered around the front of the concession stand with bags of popcorn, candy, and big cups of soda. We paused near the side of the building, far enough away that we were outside the circle of light surrounding it.
“What do we do now?” Skylar whispered, turning her face up toward me so I could hear her.
“We wait for an opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity?”
“I’ll know it when I see it.”
It only took a few minutes. The back door of the concession stand opened and a guy walked out holding a bag of popcorn, then shut the door behind him. A girl materialized from the shadow of the building. He kissed her, then handed her the popcorn. They left in the opposite direction. My instincts tingled.
“I’d bet anything that’s the projector guy,” I said, keeping my voice low. “This is our chance.”
We hurried to the back of the building and luckily the door wasn’t locked. I went in first, doing my best to keep the noise from my crutches to a minimum. The kids running the concession stand were in the front and luck was on our side once again—the stairs up to the projector room were right next to the back door.
Skylar came in after me and we went up with no one the wiser.
The projector room was smaller than I thought it would be. And darker. In the