“We get arrested for trespassing and my divorced parents who are currently living together get in an enormous fight over who’s going to come bail me out of jail and then I have to live with the fallout because the thing that made them snap was me?”

“That’s… kind of specific. Are your parents fighting a lot?”

“Not exactly. They’re mostly picking at each other and sometimes things get tense. But I keep wondering when they’re going to blow up.”

“How long do you think your mom will be living there?”

“I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything specific to me, but I assume she and my dad have talked about it. She’s looking for a job, which makes me think she wants to stay in Tilikum.”

“That’s pretty cool. You could have both your parents close.”

“Yeah, it would be. Although right now, I’m wondering if this town is big enough for both of them.”

“Well they are living under the same roof. That’s gotta be tense.”

“So tense. I know I’m overly sensitive to… well, everything. But I feel like the entire house is charged with electricity. I’m surprised my hair isn’t standing on end.”

I opened my mouth to tell her she could always come hang out at my house if things were getting a little too real at home. But I figured I’d steer clear of that topic for now. Too soon.

I turned onto Icicle Road, but took another immediate right onto a narrow dirt road and pulled over. “We’ll park here and walk through the trees. Someone might recognize my truck if I get too close, and the walk isn’t bad.”

She nibbled on her fingernail. “You’re sure we won’t get caught?”

I hesitated for a second, thinking about it, and slowly nodded. “I’m about ninety-percent sure.”

“I guess those are pretty good odds.”

“Really good.”

“What would it take for you to not go? Like if you thought it was only fifty-fifty, would you still do it?”

“Fifty-fifty? Yeah, easy. Although maybe not with a broken leg. I’d want to be fully mobile in case I had to make a run for it.”

“Make a run for it? That’s not helping my anxiety.”

I reached over and took her hand. “Sky, you’ve got this. We’re just going to go take a look around. Besides, you did hit me with your car. You kinda owe me.”

She smacked my arm. “That’s so not fair.”

“I know, I’m terrible,” I said with a grin. “How about you think of this as book research.”

“But I’m not writing about anyone breaking into a drive-in theater.”

“Do you write about people breaking in to other places?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Now you’ll have firsthand experience.”

Our eyes locked and a surge of heat swept through me. God, she was hot. The memory of her lips was still seared into my skin. That pretty little mouth had been on my neck, whispering in my ear. I’d only gotten a taste of her and fuck it had been good.

Too good.

Maybe too good to resist.

I wasn’t sure whether I was going to win or lose this battle, or what winning or losing even meant. Because right now, the only thing I could think about was what Skylar sounded like when she was coming, and I wanted to make her do it again.

Bad idea, Gav. Don’t steal another cookie.

“We should get moving,” I said, finally. “We need to get in and out before the movie ends.”

Skylar nodded, but I didn’t miss the blush that hit her cheeks.

I loved a challenge, but holding myself back from her was turning out to be some masochistic shit.

A couple of slow breaths of cold night air helped clear my head. I put on a baseball 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.