<link href="css/hmh.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/> <meta content="urn:uuid:b25a0ff2-aed0-4c59-9ddc-28ee656ed1b7" name="Adept.expected.resource"/> </head> <body><a id="p5"/> <h1 class="chaptertitle ">Not Okay</h1> <div class="full "> <img alt="[Image]" id="fig_van" src="images/van.jpg"/> </div> <div class="timebreak "> </div> <p class="left ">“Y<span class="smallcaps">OU WANT TO</span> talk, Odette?” asked Dad.</p> <p class="follow">She shook her head into the bedspread, still refusing to look up.</p> <p class="follow">He sighed. Odette imagined him shifting his weight, leaning against her door frame.</p> <p class="follow">“No,” she said into the mattress.</p> <p class="follow">There was a pause. Then he said, “It’s going to be okay, honey. I promise.” More lurking, and then Odette heard him walk away. He left the door open.</p> <p class="follow">Odette sighed and flipped onto her back. She was beginning to feel smothered, face-down on her bed. The house was hot.</p> <p class="follow"><em>The Coach has air conditioning!</em> Odette could imagine Mom’s peppy response.</p> <p class="follow">Dad promised it would be okay. He <em>promised.</em> As if he had that kind of authority. That kind of pull with the universe. Odette knew a lie when she heard one. How on earth could he know everything would be okay? To Odette, it was clear as a glass of water that things were <em>not</em> okay. Not by a mile.</p> </body> </html>