55
“So, are you ready?” Albert asked Halli.
“No.” She had changed out of her sweaty running clothes and taken a long, hot shower. Now she finally faced the conversation she knew she’d have to have. But since her mind was firmly made up, saying no was easy.
“I’m not taking the test,” she told Albert.
“You mean...not today?”
“Right,” she said. “Not today.”
She didn’t feel compelled to tell him the full answer, which was, “Never.”
Not everyone needs to know what you think, Ginny once explained to Halli after they’d finished being interviewed by a reporter who asked a lot of personal questions. Halli was used to it, and was also used to being as honest as possible. If someone asked her a question, she somehow felt bound to answer it.
But she’d listened to Ginny give short answers or no
