Flat-Out Matt

Matt rolled his eyes. “Everything is fine. I’m well aware of the creaky steps and how to get past Mom and Dad’s room without them hearing.”

“I trained you well.” Fi

“Both true.”

“And how did you two lovebirds meet?” Fi

“Ellen and I were both selected to run an afterschool group for those who needed help with molecular biophysics and biochemistry. A number of students have been taking college courses to bulk up their resumes, so we’ve been tutoring them twice a week.”

“Scintillating. Tell me something more exciting than that. What’s she like? Is she fu

“She’s going to major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, if that answers your question.”

“It doesn’t answer my question. That either means that she’s too uptight to do it so she just reads about it, or…”

Matt smiled. “She’s not too uptight.”

Fi

“Fi

“Damn straight they are!” He clapped his hands together and looked at Matt. “I’m a sophomore in college, what do you expect? Seriously, so things are, uh, good between you and this unspeakably loose Ellen character?”

Matt nodded and fiddled with the bag in his hands.

“I see you trying not to smile,” Fi

“She’s hoping to spend the summer interning for a Harvard professor who is researching—”

“That’s not what I mean. Tell me more about her. You and her. You care about her? Does she make you laugh? Is she warm, and girly, and sexy, and sweet?”

“Of course I care about her. She’s very smart and focused, and Ellen is extremely supportive of my plan to double-major.”

“Well,” Fi

“What’s that condescension for?”

“Nothing. It’s just….” Fi

“I am having fun.”

“In a controlled, regimented fashion, yes. But I think you could have more fun. It wouldn’t hurt you to hook up with someone a little less like our mother.”

“What an atrocious, puke-inducing thing to say.”

“Go date some girl with purple hair and tattoos. Someone emotional and fu

“Ellen and I are on the same page when it comes to a lot of important things. We have similar life goals, value the same social policies…. There is a lot of respect between us.”

“Ah, yes, the stuff great love stories are made of. I’m overwhelmed by the romance. Live a little, Matthew. Get a B instead of an A+ in a class because you’re so passionately in love and busy schtupping your brains out that you didn’t have time to study.”

“That’s you, Fi

“It is you. You just have to let it happen. You’d love it.”

“I’m quite happy with Ellen.”

“You’re bored with Ellen. I know you. You’ll skydive, and hang into ravines by thin ropes, and go rafting in the rapids, but you won’t… what? Get crazy and reckless with an amazing girl? You won’t fall madly out-of-your-brains in love? Let your world as you know it be blown to bits because you fall heart-crushingly head-over-heels for someone?”

Matt laughed. “You go enjoy your tattooed nymphomaniacs, and I’ll be just fine the way I am.”

“I knew Ellen was uptight,” Fi

Matt laughed. “She’s not uptight! I’ll have you know that we… do it plenty.”

“Yeah, fine. At least there’s that.”

“And it’s not like there’s anything wrong with both of us focusing on school. You care about that, too, considering that you’re not exactly failing out of Brandeis.”

“True, but I’m not you, that’s for sure. You’ve got something that I could never have.”

“Yeah, right.”

“It’s true. Dude, you need to appreciate how goddamn gifted you are. You’re so smart that I don’t understand what you’re talking about half the time, and we all know how brilliant I am.” Fi

He shook his head. Fi

“What are you not good at? You’re going to MIT next year. It doesn’t get any more genius than that.”

Matt sighed. “It’s not that. Fine, yes, if I get into MIT, I’ll do well there. We all know that.” He looked up and took in the skyline.

Fi

Finally Matt looked over. “What? What is it?”

“Aw, Matt, knock it off. No one in the world could have as amazing a brother as I do. You’ve got a heart and a spirit like nobody else. Please try to remember that. You’re more than just the smart one.”

“I know that. I do. I’m also the hot brother.” Matt tossed the trail mix bag at Fi

“Look who’s all cocky now, huh? Got the girl, got the fancy-pants college that’s going to chase after you for sure…. What’s next for you?” Fi

Matt hung his arms over his knees and surveyed the skyline. He smiled. “I don’t know. But I can’t wait to find out.”

Fi

Matt hesitated. “Yes.”

Fi

“She’s great. I mean, she misses you, of course, but that’s normal.”

The truth was that Celeste hated that Fi