Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park Read Free Book Online Page B

connotation. But it wasn’t Matt’s fault. It’s not as though he invented tandem skydiving so that he would one day be able describe it to a girl stuck in a broken elevator.
     
    Finn is God
    You’d be in front of me, your back pressed into my chest.
     
    He waited. Matt looked away from the screen for a minute, listening to the music that was filling his room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the image on the screen move.
     
    Julie Seagle
    That part doesn’t sound so awful.
     
    The tension that he was holding rushed from his body.
     
    Finn is God
    No. It doesn’t sound so awful, does it?
    Julie Seagle
    So then tell me more.
    Finn is God
    Okay. Pretend we’re going right now. Ready?
    Julie Seagle
    Ready .
    Finn is God
    We’re in the plane, and it’s loud and cold. You see duct tape over parts of the interior of the plane and wonder if jumping is the worst idea you’ve ever had, but I tell you you’ll be fine. We both have on the full skydiving suits, helmets, goggles, chutes. The suit is tight, and it gives you the illusion of being safe, secure. You’re full of mixed emotions. Pride, anxiety, exuberance, terror.
    Julie Seagle
    Nausea?
     
    Matt smiled. Even when Julie was scared, she was cute.
     
    Finn is God
    That’s not an emotion! But, yes, nausea.
    Julie Seagle
    Then what?
     
    Matt had started this without thinking, and without understanding what he was doing, but she was responding. So the only thing to do was continue.
     
    Finn is God
    Your mind is racing. Did you remember to turn off the oven at home? Your car needs an oil change. You’re out of shampoo. Why do washing machines eat socks? Do they taste good? Should you try eating socks? You wonder if you should back out, if this was a mistake. You didn’t tell anyone that you were jumping today, and now what if you die? You worry that you’ll forget what to do, that you won’t remember when to pull the chute. I show you the altimeter. The plane is only halfway up to where we need to be, and it already feels so high. But you’re not in any danger.
    Julie Seagle
    Finn, I’m scared. The elevator is shaking.
     
    Matt didn’t like this. Elevators got jammed all the time, especially in older apartment buildings, which is likely where Seth lived. The elevator was probably shaking because the fire department was there banging around, and he bet that the vibrations and the metallic noise were increasing Julie’s panic, but that she was not actually in any true danger. Rational thinking, however, wasn’t erasing his concern for how she must be feeling. He wanted her to feel safe.
     
    Finn is God
    I know you are, but I’ve got you. You’re not in the elevator. You’re with me. I stand you up and try to push your body away from mine, reminding you that you are tightly strapped to me and that I won’t let anything happen. It’s my job to control our jump and my job to pull the chute if you don’t. You’re safe. Tell me that you trust me.
    Julie Seagle
    I trust you.
     
    Matt took a deep breath. Something just happened between them. Julie felt something for him. She did. He could tell even through this online world. Whether it was him or Finn didn’t really matter. It was a difference of names really, that’s all. Yes, he had never volunteered in Africa or scuba dived in remote locations in search of rare coral, but Matt used to have a good dose of Finn’s adventurous spirit. So the essence of his communication as Finn was real and it was what had connected them online. And Julie needed that relationship they’d been building, the one that had crept up without warning. She needed him to talk her through this. And so he would.
     
    Finn is God
    We’re high enough now, and one of the instructors opens the door, sending a powerful rush of air into the cabin. Your heart nearly stops when I start to walk you to the edge. As much as you’re terrified, you’re also starting to feel the rush, the thrill you get from being on the