up expectantly from the yearbook when he started back down the stairs to the
living room.
Justin had his hands behind his back, and when he pulled them out, he didn’t
have cookies but rather a plastic videocassette case from the rental store. It
was a double case, the kind for really long movies. Justin held it up to Henry
and Bryce’s puzzled expressions.
“What’s that?” Bryce asked.
“Guess,” Justin said.
“Dances with Wolves?” Henry asked. Henry’s father would sometimes rent
that movie, or Braveheart, and they both came with two tapes like that. Henry
wished he had said Braveheart instead.
Bryce started laughing. “That movie sounds stupid.”
“It’s not that,” Justin said. He slid down next to them and showed them the
case. “It’s Titanic,” he whispered.
Bryce and Henry exchanged looks and Bryce rolled over, stifling a whoop.
Even Henry knew about Titanic. He had heard that a lady got naked in it. His
father must have rented it and left it on the counter next to his wallet and
keys so that he would remember to return it.
“You shouldn’t have took that,” Henry whispered to Justin. “What if my dad
catches us?”
“But he’s sleeping,” Justin whispered.
“Yeah, he’s sleeping, Hank,” Bryce said.
Henry knew his father wasn’t sleeping, but he also knew that he wouldn’t
come downstairs unless the boys were making noise. “Ok,” Henry said at last.
“We can watch, but we need to stay real quiet.”
Henry turned out the overhead light. Justin opened the case as Bryce did a
couple silent somersaults, stood up dizzy, and crashed into the couch. Henry