Flat-Out Matt (10 page)

Celeste’s eyes opened wide. “Oh! We are off on an exciting rescue mission, is that correct?”

“Yes.” Matt reached into a laundry basket of clean clothes and tossed jeans and a heavy sweater at Celeste. “Here. Just put these on over what you’re wearing. We have to go now.”

“Matthew?” Celeste sat up and started pulling the jeans over her long underwear.

“What?” he asked, exasperated at how slow she was.

“Do you think that perhaps you too should put on some clothes?”

Matt looked down. She had a point. He might need to wear something besides only sweatpants. “Yeah, okay. Fine. Just hurry.”

Matt raced to his room, snatched some clothes from his dresser, and put on a T-shirt as he stumbled down the stairs, falling hard onto the landing. He slid his feet into socks and shoes, swearing too loudly. “Move it, Celeste!” he yelled. “And grab some warm clothes for Julie!”

Celeste followed him to the foyer, where he grabbed the car keys and Julie’s boots. “This is a remarkably exciting way to start the day, isn’t it?” she asked happily.

Matt yanked a wool hat over her head. “No. No, it is not.”

They rushed through the frozen snow to the car. Matt cursed the old Volvo that was taking forever to heat up enough to drive.  He could feel Celeste’s eyes boring into him expectantly.

“What is it?” he snapped.

“Are we going to the airport and flying to California? I do not want to go on an airplane. Not at all. But I will if we are to partake in a heroic cross-country mission.”

“No, we’re not flying anywhere.” Matt turned on the wipers and cranked up the air, willing the windows to defrost enough so that he could see. “Julie is in Boston. I don’t think she ever left.”

“Why is she not with her father? Why did she not tell us? Where has she been staying?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “Something must have happened.”

“And what is this apparently stupid and dangerous activity in which she is engaging?” Celeste folded the clothes she had for Julie into a neat pile on her lap.

“She is doing the goddamn Polar Plunge.” He was so mad that he could hardly speak the words aloud.

“Is this a bear-related activity? That does indeed sound quite dangerous.”

“What? No, it’s not a bear-related activity.” He wiped the window with his glove and then backed the car out of the driveway. “She’s jumping into the Atlantic Ocean with a bunch of other insane people. It’s a New Year’s Day event. The water is freezing. “

“How do you know that she is doing this?”

“I just… do.”

“Because you know her?” Celeste asked softly.

Matt took a moment before he responded. “Yes. Because I know her.” And he knew that Julie wanted to do this Plunge because Finn had done it. Really, Matt and Finn had done it together. A matter of weeks before Finn died.

“I do not think that sounds like an enjoyable activity in the least, but I also feel strongly that Julie must have a solid reason for participating in this cold-water plunging festival.”

“It’s not a festival! And there is no good reason!” Matt looked at the clock. They might make it in time to stop her. Maybe. The ocean water could shut down her body. The current could pull her under. He knew the way the icy water felt as though it were burning your skin, and how the shock of the cold could energize you. It could also debilitate you. Matt and Finn had known how to handle the rush, plus they kept an eye on each other. Julie wouldn’t know what to do with the shock, and there was no one there to watch over her. Matt didn’t care that paramedics were present because in the wild crowd it would be easy to miss one girl vanishing into the dark ocean. “God, Julie, what the hell are you doing?” he yelled out.

Celeste calmly retied her scarf. “It is my opinion that you are having an unreasonably strong reaction to how Julie has chosen to celebrate this holiday.”

“I’ll react however I want to when someone does something so alarmingly outrageous.”

“Do you mean when a woman who you desire to engage with above a friendship level does something so alarmingly—”  

“Celeste! Stop it,” Matt growled. He was not in the mood to wrangle Celeste’s dramatizations right now. He took a plastic baggie from his coat pocket and held it out. “Here, I have a muffin that I took to school the other day. You should eat something.”

“I do not want a muffin.”

“Yes, you do.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

“No, I do not want a muffin.”

Matt shook the bag wildly. “Just eat the muffin, okay?” he demanded. “You’re supposed to have breakfast!”

Celeste took the bag from his hand. “Goodness. If eating the muffin will help alleviate this display of emotionality, I will be happy to accommodate you and eat the muffin.” She paused. “I would be happier if you had not sat on it and if it were not undeniably compressed into a near pancake.”

“JUST EAT THE FREAKIN’ MUFFIN!” Matt flew through an intersection.

“It is my suspicion that by
freakin’
you really mean f
u
—”

“How about we stop talking, okay?”

“Yes. Let’s. I will eat my subpar, unusually shaped muffin disc now.” She patted his shoulder. “And we will find Julie, and she will be perfectly fine.”

Matt took a deep breath. “I know.”

They drove silently to the beach in South Boston.

Matt took the first parking space he could find and slammed the car to a stop. “I’m sorry that I yelled at you, Celeste,” he said.

“I know. I do not mind much as the source of your outburst that elicited such an elevated reaction is near and dear to us both.” She opened her door and stepped out.

Matt shut off the ignition. He looked around the car, cursing himself for not having thought to bring towels, but he was relieved to see a blanket in the back. He grabbed it and opened his door, darting out to run through the parking lot and toward the beach. The sand slowed his pace, but he pushed ahead as fast as he could with Celeste trailing after him.

“Look at all the swimmers, Matty! This is delightful!”

The crowd on the beach was infuriating, and he weaved angrily around cheering people who clearly were not the least bit concerned about their loved ones who were in the Atlantic Ocean in January. He and Celeste finally got in front of the other onlookers, and he scanned the water, now full of barely dressed swimmers splashing around. “Where is she? Where is she? Do you see her?”

“There! I believe that is her.” Celeste pointed a bit to their right. “She is wearing a bikini. A very small one.”

It was Julie. He would know her anywhere. She ran through deep blue waves and then suddenly threw her whole body under water. Matt dropped the blanket and flew forward to the edge of the water. “Julie!” he called. He kept his eyes on her, but knelt down and started to untie his boots. He was going in after her.

“No, Matty. Let her do this.”

“Celeste, she’s going to drown.”

“No, she is
not
going to drown. She wants this experience. Give it to her.”

Julie burst through to the surface before diving under for a second time. She was crazy. Matt stood up and cupped his hands by his mouth and yelled out her name again.

Sleet was falling, and the sky was darkening as deep gray clouds took over the sky. He watched as she stood in waist-level water and slowly began to drop. The cold had gotten to her, he knew. She was going under now, and not by her own will.

When you are numb, you lose control, you lose reason, you lose care.

“Julie!” Matt screamed as loudly as he could. He began to unzip his coat.

Celeste grabbed his arm. “No, Matthew. It is all right. There is someone there.”

Matt shook with relief as an older, muscular man with a frizzy white ponytail lifted Julie into his arms just before she disappeared under the dark water. Matt and Celeste waved their arms at the man and he carried Julie their way. Celeste handed Matt the blanket, and he held it open. The older man neared them with a smile. Julie was so frozen that she didn’t even look their way. “This girl belong to you?”

Matt nodded wordlessly, and the man set Julie’s feet gently on the sand in front of them before he disappeared into the crowd. Relief rushed through Matt as he wrapped the blanket around Julie. She was shaking in his arms, her body fighting frantically to warm up.

He held her tightly, rubbing her arms. “Oh my God, Julie! What were you doing?”

“Matt? Did you see me?” She buried her head against him.

“Yeah. I saw you.” He couldn’t conceal his anger.

“Did you see Santa Claus, too?” She was hoarse from the cold.

“That wasn’t Santa Claus. That was one of the L Street Brownies who rescued you from certain death. It was considerate of him, after you crashed their event.” Matt tightened the blanket around her and started furiously rubbing her back. “We have to get you warmed up. Dummy. Hey, can you get her sweatpants and socks and boots on? Hurry.”

Celeste helped Julie move her legs into her clothes. “I saw you, too, and I thought you were brilliant! Really stupendous!”

“Celeste?” Julie tried to turn her head, but Matt kept his arms around her, keeping the blanket over her wet hair and protecting her from the wind. He could hear her teeth chattering through the blanket, for God’s sake, and he was livid with her for doing this to herself.

“I’m here!” Celeste said excitedly. “I’m attending to your blue feet!”

“Why are you here? How?” Julie asked.

Matt lowered the blanket for a moment so that he could pull the shirt and sweatshirt they’d brought over her head. What was she thinking, wearing this tiny bikini out in public? She was lucky that she hadn’t been mauled by horny swimmers. Even nearly blue, she was gorgeous. Anyone would think so. Julie met his eyes finally, and he frowned as he wrapped the blanket back around her.

“Finn figured it out. He sent me to get you,” he whispered into her ear. “What the hell were you thinking? We could see you standing out there in the ocean, not moving. You’re lucky you’re not dead. Goddamn it, Julie. Why would you do that? Why are you here and not in California with your father?” He was angry and he couldn’t hide it.

Julie dropped her head forward and leaned into him. “Because he’s a jerk, and I’m a liar.” Her voice caught and she started sobbing.

Matt didn’t say anything, but he kept rubbing her back. Celeste moved behind Julie, pressing her between them. Matt didn’t know what to say, so he let Julie’s tears fall while he and Celeste held her.

“Please don’t cry, Julie. You were simply wonderful out there,” Celeste said.

“She was not wonderful, Celeste. She was a dope.” Matt managed to soften his tone. “But we’re glad you’re okay. You are okay, aren’t you? I mean… physically?” Clearly she was a mental basket case right now.

Julie nodded and then turned her head, still resting it against Matt’s chest. He was relieved beyond words that she was safe.

“Matt?”

“Yeah?”

“Did we talk on the phone last night?”

He paused. Oh, no. “We did.”

“Did I ask you…?” Julie seemed to fumble for words. “Did I ask you if you were a
skilled lover
?”

Matt cleared his throat and paused again. He’d been hoping that conversation was lost forever. “You did.”

Celeste burst out laughing.

Julie tucked her head down lower. “Sorry.”

“Let’s get you into the car. It should still be warm.”

“Celeste, can you grab my bag?” Julie pointed from under the blanket to the benches on the other side of the beach.

“Absolutely. Hey, Julie?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“I’m glad that you’re here.” Celeste beamed. “Home.”

“Me too.”

“Meet us at the car, okay?” Matt stepped away from Julie and turned her in the direction of the street.
Home.
Celeste was right. Julie’s home was with them.

“So, Matt,” she started and looked up at him smiling. God, he’d missed that smile. “Last night? What was your answer?”

“I’m not going to tell you. Now maybe you won’t drink so much again.”

Julie sighed. “Believe me. Lesson learned.”

Matt got her into the front seat and cranked up the heat. Celeste bounded into the car with Julie’s bag, and they started the drive home. The frozen girl in the seat next to him periodically shuddered and held her hands in front of the car vents that didn’t seem to be producing enough heat for even a mildly chilly day.

Matt frowned and fiddled with the controls, finally hitting the dashboard. He wanted hot air blasting onto Julie immediately. “Come on! Come on, you piece of crap!” He slammed his hand down again.

“It’s all right. Calm down. I’m warming up,” Julie insisted.

“No, you’re not fine.” Matt was angry again. “That was a stupid thing to do. It was reckless. Seriously, what would possess you?”

Julie leaned back. “I don’t care. I’m glad I did it.”

“It’s called a
plunge
. It’s not a
stand-in-the-dangerously-cold-water-and-stare-fixedly-at-nothing
event. A plunge means exactly that. You plunge in and get the hell out. Not that you should have even been doing that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m not fooling around, Julie. That was stupid. Stupid.” Matt hit the gas, desperate to get Julie back to the house where he could take care of her properly. He would build a fire, and make her soup, and force her to drink lots of fluids. Hot tea, maybe? He was sure there was a wool blanket in the linen closet upstairs….

“Slow down, Matt!” Julie said hoarsely. “You’re going to get a ticket.”

“I’ll drive as fast as I want. The quicker we get you home, the quicker you can warm up.”

“Why don’t you just take me back to Dana’s? Turn left up here.”

“Is that where you’ve been staying?” He was really pissed off now. If her father blew her off, why would she stay at Dana’s and not with them? Had she even left Boston at all? And if she thought for two seconds that he would drop her off at an empty apartment, then she had surely frozen most of her brain cells in the Atlantic. Her lack of responsibility was appalling. “No. I am not taking you back to Dana’s. Who knows what other trouble you’ll get yourself into?”

“Matt! I can stay wherever I want to. I’m an adult.”