HELLO DO YOU LIKE MY HAIR IT IS PRETTY LIKE A GIRL.
Hello again! I'm leaving for Wyoming (!!) in TWO DAYS, so I figured I may as well get one last chapter of Twilight in before I leave on my EXCELLENT RANCH ADVENTURE.
I don't have any particular thoughts on the last chapter, which I thought was mind-numbingly dull.
My iTunes are playing foreboding orchestral music from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, which I feel is appropriate, as my spirits are low and weary as I enter:
CHAPTER 3: PHENOMENON
To me, the real phenomenon is that this book is so popular.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different. It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window.
I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror. It was Edward, and he was NAKED.
A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of my truck, and whitened the road. Aw, never mind. Actually, if she saw Edward naked, she probably wouldn't be reacting with horror. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid - coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; it might be safer for me to go back to bed now. My Foreshadowing Detector is going off again.
Charlie had left for work before I got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having my own place, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely. At least she appreciates SOMEthing about him.
I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice from the carton. I felt excited to go to school, and that scared me. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. Jeez, why does she even bother calling them 'friends'? She hasn't been very nice to them. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Edward Cullen. I AM SO SURPRISED. And that was very, very stupid. SHE said it, not me.
I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I didn't know it was common practise to question near-strangers about their eyes. For all you know, he might have a condition. So far, Bella's been nothing but rude to Edward, even though he was actually trying to be nice to her. I guess it's understandable what with all the glaring, but still. I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect HAWT face. I was well aware that my league and his league were spheres that did not touch. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.
It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the icy brick driveway alive. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish. Aaaand she's back to being negative again. Man, getting a little happiness out of this girl is like squeezing water out of a rock.
Driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Edward Cullen by thinking about Mike and Eric, and the obvious difference in how teenage boys responded to me here. So... in other words, she's never had a male friend before. Ye gawds. I was sure I looked exactly the same as I had in Phoenix. Maybe it was just that the boys back home had watched me pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still thought of me that way. She's still making this fundamental error of assuming that the only reason they're attracted to her is because she's TEH_HAWT, which really doesn't match up with her 'Woe is me, I'm so colorless and ugly!' sentiment from the first chapter. Has it really NEVER occurred to her that they (or at least Mike, Eric has shown jealousy and probably has a crush) just want to be friends? They've only known her for a couple of weeks, after all.) Perhaps it was because I was a novelty here, where novelties were few and far between. Possibly my crippling clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting me as a damsel in
distress. I think she's putting way too much thought into this. Whatever the reason, Mike's puppy dog behavior and Eric's apparent rivalry with him were disconcerting. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored. Again we see proof of her preferring NOT to fit in.
My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street.
When I got out of my truck at school, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck - carefully holding the side for support - to examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me by surprise. This is, literally, the first emotion she's really shown for Charlie. Can this sort of thing continue, Meyer? Because it's great. That poor guy needs some love. On top of that, this is another tidbit of evidence that in the relationship between Bella and her mom, though they were close, Bella was the one doing the caring. Little details like this are important, even if they're small. This is SHOWING. Not TELLING. Congratulations, Meyer. You get a cookie!
I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound. It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I'm not sure if this is technically incorrect or not, but 'fast becoming painfully loud' sounds really awkward. 'Quickly becoming painfully loud' would probably work better. I looked up, startled.
I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once. I kind of like that. Meyer's writing makes it seem... awkward, as usual, but the idea itself is good. Slo-mo's overrated.
Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces (because it was HAWT), all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes. I TOLD you that Foreshadowing Detector wasn't usually wrong!
Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. I was lying on the pavement behind the tan car I'd parked next to.
But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again again.
A low oath Oath? I... don't think that's the word she's looking for. made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body.
Then his hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt - exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been. Again I must emphasize that the scenes involving cars are the ones where she is most descriptive about the action, and it's not horrible description, either. You can definitely get a sense of scene from it. So why doesn't she put that kind of effort into any of the other scenes?
It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began. In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more than one person shouting my name. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Edward Cullen's low, frantic voice in my ear.
"Bella? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.
"Be careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."
I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.
"Ow," I said, surprised.
"That's what I thought." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter. OH BELLA U SO SILLY.
"How in the…" I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did you get over here so fast?"
"I was standing right next to you, Bella," he said, his tone serious again. "And these are not the droids you're looking for."
I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in the limited space. I looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again by the force of his gold-colored eyes. What was I asking him?
And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at us.
"Don't move," someone instructed.
"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted.
There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Edward's cold hand pushed my shoulder down.
"Just stay put for now."
"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath.
There was an edge to the sound.
"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were by your car."
His expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't. These aren't the droids you're looking for."
"I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and he was going to admit it.
"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial. "THESE ARE NOT THE GODDAMN DROIDS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!"
"No." I set my jaw.
The gold in his eyes blazed. "Please, Bella."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Trust me," he pleaded, his soft voice overwhelming.
I could hear the sirens now. "Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"
"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exasperated.
"Fine," I repeated angrily.
Y'know, if I'd just almost been hit by a car and someone had saved me, I don't think I'd be in the mood to argue with them. She admitted herself, earlier, that she'd taken in a whole bunch of detail in a split second, and HAWT or not, how can she really trust her memory that she saw Edward in the crowd?
And even if she did trust her memory, he just saved her life. It'd be one thing if Meyer established that she was sort of in shock about what happened and was just being bitchy because she was trying not to think about having almost been a stain on the pavement, but instead, she just comes off as being bitchy. Poor Edward.
It took six EMTs and two teachers - Mr. Varner and Coach Clapp - to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Edward vehemently refused his, and I tried to do the same, but the traitor told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion. Traitor? Like he owed you anything in the first place! What an ungrateful little shit. I almost died of humiliation when they put on the neck brace. It looked like the entire school was there, watching soberly as they loaded me in the back of the ambulance. Edward got to ride in the front. It was maddening.
To make matters worse, Chief Swan arrived before they could get me safely away.
Am I the only one a little bothered by this cold way she refers to her father? 'Charlie' is all right I suppose- I know a few kids who call their dad by his first name (I don't know the reason though), but 'Chief Swan'? That's just... I don't know, it bothers me.
"Bella!" he yelled in panic when he recognized me on the stretcher.
"I'm completely fine, Char - Dad," I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me." "Ugh, I'm so exasperated that you care about me after I've been in an accident! Like, omg. *flips hair and examines nails*"
He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion. I tuned him out to consider the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in my head. When they'd lifted me away from the car, I had seen the deep dent in the tan car's bumper - a very distinct dent that fit the contours of Edward's shoulders… as if he had braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame… That cracks me up for some reason. Like those Looney Tunes where someone crashes through a wall and leaves a hole shaped like themselves. This book would be better if the vampires engaged in slapstick humor from time to time. Hell, I know I'd do that if I was a vampire.
And then there was his family, looking on from the distance, with expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety. :(!
I tried to think of a logical solution that could explain what I had just seen - a solution that excluded the assumption that I was insane.
Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me. What made it worse was that Edward simply glided through the hospital doors under his own power. I ground my teeth together. Man, she really resents him. And after he saved her life! Just how do they wind up being attracted to each other, again? I love love-hate relationships, they're cute, but this animosity seems entirely based on Bella's bitchiness. And there's not even any comical bantering!
They put me in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-patterned curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give me some privacy, I decided I wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, I quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed.
TEH REBEL.
Seriously, though, is she thick?
There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed next to me. I recognized Tyler Crowley from my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Tyler looked a hundred times worse than I felt. But he was staring anxiously at me.
"Bella, I'm so sorry!" Another nice guy who is generally concerned about her. Especially because he basically just hit her with his car.
"I'm fine, Tyler - you look awful, are you all right?" Just noting: This is the first time we've seen her show concern for anybody. As we spoke, nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek.
He ignored me. "I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong…" He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face.
"Don't worry about it; you missed me." I think Meyer's a little too fond of those semi-colons. What kind of person uses a semi-colon in everyday speech, seriously?
"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone…"
"Umm… Edward pulled me out of the way."
He looked confused. "Who?"
"Edward Cullen - he was standing next to me." I'd always been a terrible liar; I didn't sound convincing at all.
"Cullen? I didn't see him… wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"
"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher."
I knew I wasn't crazy. What had happened? There was no way to explain away what I'd seen. Aside from, you know, having been mistaken in the split-second between seeing the van skidding towards you and being pulled out of the way. Really. It's not that weird an explanation.
They wheeled me away then, to X-ray my head. I told them there was nothing wrong, and I was right. Not even a concussion. How would you know whether you have a concussion or not? I asked if I could leave, but the nurse said I had to talk to a doctor first. So I was trapped in the ER, waiting, harassed by Tyler's constant apologies and promises to make it up to me. No matter how many times I tried to convince him I was fine, he continued to torment himself.
Finally, I closed my eyes and ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling.
"Is she sleeping?" a musical HAWT voice asked. My eyes flew open.
'Musical' is a perfectly legit way to describe a voice, so this isn't really a legit prod at Meyer for it, but I still think these books would be 100% better if everything the vampires said had to be in song, like that one episode of Buffy. That would be awesome. Can't you just see it?
"THEY GOT.... THE MUSTARD! OUUUUUUUUUT! 8D"
All right, I'm done.
Edward was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking a smirky smirk. I glared at him. It wasn't easy - it would have been more natural to ogle.
"Hey, Edward, I'm really sorry -" Tyler began.
Edward lifted a hand to stop him.
"No blood, OHOHOHOHOHO. no foul," he said, flashing his brilliant HAWT teeth. He moved to sit on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing me. He smirked the smirky smirk again.
"So, what's the verdict?" he asked me.
"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," I complained. Whine whine whine!
"How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"
"It's all about who you know," he answered. "But don't worry, I came to spring you."
Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth fell open. He was young, he was blond… and he was handsomer HAWTER than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Edward's father.
And like I predicted, any 'likable' character in this book has to be OMG HAWT. Seriously, Meyer, wtf? People are capable of being good, intelligent, and friendly human beings even if they're ugly, you know.
"So, Miss Swan," Dr. Cullen said in a remarkably appealing HAWT voice, "how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I said, for the last time, I hoped.
He walked to the lightboard on the wall over my head, and turned it on.
"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."
"It's fine," I repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Edward. "Like, omg. I hate being here. Why didn't you just let me get hit? I'D BE BETTER OFF DEAD OMG NO ONE LOVES ME."
The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along my skull. He noticed when I winced.
"Tender?" he asked.
"Not really." I'd had worse.
I heard a chuckle, and looked over to see Edward's patronizing smile. My eyes narrowed.
"Well, your father is in the waiting room - you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."
"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, imagining Charlie trying to be attentive. Wow. She sure liked it when he was considerate enough to put the chains on her wheels so that she didn't skid around on the ice. I guess that didn't last long, huh? Ungrateful bitch. And also: DUDE! DAY OFF! I'd be all over that sucker like a fat kid on cake!
"Maybe you should take it easy today."
I glanced at Edward. "Does he get to go to school?"
"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived," Edward said smugly.
"Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected, "most of the school seems to be in the waiting room." .... Wow. That would be the most hardcore school ever if they let them do that. At my school? We had school even ont he days that the roads froze to the extent that all the buses were literally two hours late, half the teachers were stuck in unmoving traffic on the highway, and there were car crashes occurring directly in front of the bus stops.
If this happened at my school, they'd have just made all of us go to class. Seriously.
"Oh no," I moaned, covering my face with my hands.
Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to stay?"
"No, no!" I insisted, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly. Too quickly - I staggered, and Dr. Cullen caught me. He looked concerned.
"I'm fine," I assured him again. Um. You know, my main character does this whole "*flails around, while impaled* JUST A FLESH WOUND!" thing, too, but everyone just tells him he's deluded and sedates him until he sits still. No need to tell him my balance problems had nothing to do with hitting my head.
"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested as he steadied me.
"It doesn't hurt that bad," I insisted.
"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as he signed my chart with a flourish.
"Lucky Edward happened to be standing next to me," I amended with a hard glance at the subject of my statement.
"Oh, well, yes," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him. Then he looked away, at Tyler, and walked to the next bed. My intuition flickered; the doctor was in on it. NO. WAY.
"I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Tyler, and began checking his cuts.
As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Edward's side.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. He took a step back from me, his jaw suddenly clenched.
"Your father is waiting for you," he said through his teeth.
I glanced at Dr. Cullen and Tyler.
"I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I pressed.
He glared, and then turned his back and strode down the long room. I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, he spun around to face me.
"What do you want?" he asked, sounding annoyed. His eyes were cold. Totally feel for him there. She hasn't even thanked him for being the reason she isn't roadkill.
His unfriendliness intimidated me. My words came out with less severity than I'd intended. "You owe me an explanation," I reminded him. He totally doesn't.
"I saved your life - I don't owe you anything." Word on, bro.
I flinched back from the resentment in his voice. "You promised."
"Bella, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about." His tone was cutting.
My temper flared now, and I glared defiantly at him. "There's nothing wrong with my head."
He glared back. "What do you want from me, Bella?"
"I want to know the truth," I said. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."
"What do you think happened?" he snapped.
It came out in a rush.
"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me - Tyler didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. Maybe because he was more preoccupied with the fact that he was, I don't know, TRAPPED IN AN OUT-OF-CONTROL, SPINNING VEHICLE? That van was going to crush us both - and it didn't, and your hands left dents in the side of it - and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all - and the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up…" I could hear how crazy it sounded, and I couldn't continue. I was so mad I could feel the tears coming; I tried to force them back by grinding my teeth together.
He was staring at me incredulously. But his face was tense, defensive.
"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone questioned my sanity, but it only made me more suspicious. It was like a perfectly delivered line by a skilled actor. If it had been perfectly delivered, she wouldn't have suspected it.
I merely nodded once, jaw tight.
"Nobody will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of derision now.
"I'm not going to tell anybody." I said each word slowly, carefully controlling my anger.
Surprise flitted across his face. "Then why does it matter?"
"It matters to me," I insisted. "I don't like to lie - so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it." No, she just likes to be a bitch.
"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"
"Thank you." I waited, fuming and expectant. Bitch.
"You're not going to let it go, are you?"
"No. *stomps foot and pouts*"
"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment."
We scowled at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying to keep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by his livid, glorious HAWT face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel.
"Why did you even bother?" I asked frigidly. Jesus. This chick would make Mother Teresa want to choke her. I guarantee you, if someone saved MY life, I sure as hell wouldn't be asking them why they bothered. Even if I did suspect that they had superpowers.
He paused, and for a brief moment his stunning HAWT face was unexpectedly vulnerable.
"I don't know," he whispered. You and me both, Edward.
And then he turned his back on me and walked away.
I was so angry, it took me a few minutes until I could move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit at the end of the hallway.
The waiting room was more unpleasant than I'd feared. It seemed like every face I knew in Forks was there, staring at me. Oh, come on. Minor car accidents happen all the time, everywhere. The notion that the entire town would show up-- or even just everyone she knew-- to see if she was all right, is ridiculously Sueish.
Charlie rushed to my side; I put up my hands.
"There's nothing wrong with me," I assured him sullenly. I was still aggravated, not in the mood for chitchat. Oh. My. Fucking. God. I'd strangle this bitch myself if I was right there. She's in the HOSPITAL, after just nearly getting run over by a VAN, and when her father is UNDERSTANDABLY A LITTLE CONCERNED FOR HER SAFETY, she responds by being 'sullen'. And since when is discussing the fact that she NEARLY GOT RUN OVER BY A VAN 'chitchat'?
Poor Charlie.
"What did the doctor say?"
"Dr. Cullen saw me, and he said I was fine and I could go home." I sighed. "Like omg, being in this hospital is totally cramping my style." Mike and Jessica and Eric were all there Too many 'and's. 'Mike, Jessica, and Eric' would have sufficed., beginning to converge on us. "Let's go," I urged.
Charlie put one arm behind my back, not quite touching me, and led me to the glass doors of the exit. I waved sheepishly at my friends,I'm really confused as to why she refers to them as friends. She obviously doesn't care about them at all. hoping to convey that they didn't need to worry anymore. It was a huge relief- the first time I'd ever felt that way - to get into the cruiser.
We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Charlie was there. I was positive that Edward's defensive behavior in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things I still could hardly believe I'd witnessed.
When we got to the house, Charlie finally spoke.
"Um… you'll need to call Renée." He hung his head, guilty.
I was appalled. "You told Mom!"
Ohhh, yeah, he should be sooo ashamed of himself. What was he THINKING, telling his kid's mother that she just nearly became a splatter on the pavement?
"Sorry."
Don't apologize, Charlie. Your daughter's just a bitch.
I slammed the cruiser's door a little harder than necessary on my way out. Because throwing a tantrum solves everything. How DARE they worry about her safety! My mom was in hysterics, of course. I had to tell her I felt fine at least thirty times before she would calm down. She begged me to come home - forgetting the fact that home was empty at the moment - but her pleas were easier to resist than I would have thought. I was consumed by the mystery Edward presented.
And more than a little obsessed by Edward himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Again, sheeee said it, not me! I wasn't as eager to escape Forks as I should be, as any normal, sane person would be. ... What? WHAT? What does that have to ... What. Did she seriously just imply that anybody who liked this little town, where everyone has been nothing but kind to her, where she made three friends on the very first day, who stand by her even though she doesn't give them any reason to, is not 'normal' or 'sane'? What the fuck, Bella. Now I see why you don't fit in anywhere. It's because you're a complete jerk. Do you reject EVERYONE who's even the slightest bit nice to you?
I decided I might as well go to bed early that night. Charlie continued to watch me anxiously, and it was getting on my nerves. I stopped on my way to grab three Tylenol from the bathroom.
They did help, and, as the pain eased, I drifted to sleep.
That was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen.
No words. Just no words. How could Meyer EVER expect anyone to like this character?
I- ... just.... Jesus.
And all you people who have read this before say she gets WORSE than this?
No words.
TO BE CONTINUED WHEN I GET BACK FROM WYOMING ON THE 23rd!
SYNOPSIS: Bella nearly gets hit by a car, but HAWT Edward saves her! She responds by being a complete bitch to everybody, including Edward. Why do people like this girl?
I don't have any particular thoughts on the last chapter, which I thought was mind-numbingly dull.
My iTunes are playing foreboding orchestral music from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, which I feel is appropriate, as my spirits are low and weary as I enter:
CHAPTER 3: PHENOMENON
To me, the real phenomenon is that this book is so popular.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different. It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window.
I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror. It was Edward, and he was NAKED.
A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of my truck, and whitened the road. Aw, never mind. Actually, if she saw Edward naked, she probably wouldn't be reacting with horror. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid - coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; it might be safer for me to go back to bed now. My Foreshadowing Detector is going off again.
Charlie had left for work before I got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having my own place, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely. At least she appreciates SOMEthing about him.
I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice from the carton. I felt excited to go to school, and that scared me. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. Jeez, why does she even bother calling them 'friends'? She hasn't been very nice to them. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Edward Cullen. I AM SO SURPRISED. And that was very, very stupid. SHE said it, not me.
I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I didn't know it was common practise to question near-strangers about their eyes. For all you know, he might have a condition. So far, Bella's been nothing but rude to Edward, even though he was actually trying to be nice to her. I guess it's understandable what with all the glaring, but still. I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect HAWT face. I was well aware that my league and his league were spheres that did not touch. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.
It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the icy brick driveway alive. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish. Aaaand she's back to being negative again. Man, getting a little happiness out of this girl is like squeezing water out of a rock.
Driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Edward Cullen by thinking about Mike and Eric, and the obvious difference in how teenage boys responded to me here. So... in other words, she's never had a male friend before. Ye gawds. I was sure I looked exactly the same as I had in Phoenix. Maybe it was just that the boys back home had watched me pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still thought of me that way. She's still making this fundamental error of assuming that the only reason they're attracted to her is because she's TEH_HAWT, which really doesn't match up with her 'Woe is me, I'm so colorless and ugly!' sentiment from the first chapter. Has it really NEVER occurred to her that they (or at least Mike, Eric has shown jealousy and probably has a crush) just want to be friends? They've only known her for a couple of weeks, after all.) Perhaps it was because I was a novelty here, where novelties were few and far between. Possibly my crippling clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting me as a damsel in
distress. I think she's putting way too much thought into this. Whatever the reason, Mike's puppy dog behavior and Eric's apparent rivalry with him were disconcerting. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored. Again we see proof of her preferring NOT to fit in.
My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street.
When I got out of my truck at school, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck - carefully holding the side for support - to examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me by surprise. This is, literally, the first emotion she's really shown for Charlie. Can this sort of thing continue, Meyer? Because it's great. That poor guy needs some love. On top of that, this is another tidbit of evidence that in the relationship between Bella and her mom, though they were close, Bella was the one doing the caring. Little details like this are important, even if they're small. This is SHOWING. Not TELLING. Congratulations, Meyer. You get a cookie!
I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound. It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I'm not sure if this is technically incorrect or not, but 'fast becoming painfully loud' sounds really awkward. 'Quickly becoming painfully loud' would probably work better. I looked up, startled.
I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once. I kind of like that. Meyer's writing makes it seem... awkward, as usual, but the idea itself is good. Slo-mo's overrated.
Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces (because it was HAWT), all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes. I TOLD you that Foreshadowing Detector wasn't usually wrong!
Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. I was lying on the pavement behind the tan car I'd parked next to.
But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again again.
A low oath Oath? I... don't think that's the word she's looking for. made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body.
Then his hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt - exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been. Again I must emphasize that the scenes involving cars are the ones where she is most descriptive about the action, and it's not horrible description, either. You can definitely get a sense of scene from it. So why doesn't she put that kind of effort into any of the other scenes?
It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began. In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more than one person shouting my name. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Edward Cullen's low, frantic voice in my ear.
"Bella? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.
"Be careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."
I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.
"Ow," I said, surprised.
"That's what I thought." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter. OH BELLA U SO SILLY.
"How in the…" I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did you get over here so fast?"
"I was standing right next to you, Bella," he said, his tone serious again. "And these are not the droids you're looking for."
I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in the limited space. I looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again by the force of his gold-colored eyes. What was I asking him?
And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at us.
"Don't move," someone instructed.
"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted.
There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Edward's cold hand pushed my shoulder down.
"Just stay put for now."
"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath.
There was an edge to the sound.
"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were by your car."
His expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't. These aren't the droids you're looking for."
"I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and he was going to admit it.
"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial. "THESE ARE NOT THE GODDAMN DROIDS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!"
"No." I set my jaw.
The gold in his eyes blazed. "Please, Bella."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Trust me," he pleaded, his soft voice overwhelming.
I could hear the sirens now. "Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"
"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exasperated.
"Fine," I repeated angrily.
Y'know, if I'd just almost been hit by a car and someone had saved me, I don't think I'd be in the mood to argue with them. She admitted herself, earlier, that she'd taken in a whole bunch of detail in a split second, and HAWT or not, how can she really trust her memory that she saw Edward in the crowd?
And even if she did trust her memory, he just saved her life. It'd be one thing if Meyer established that she was sort of in shock about what happened and was just being bitchy because she was trying not to think about having almost been a stain on the pavement, but instead, she just comes off as being bitchy. Poor Edward.
It took six EMTs and two teachers - Mr. Varner and Coach Clapp - to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Edward vehemently refused his, and I tried to do the same, but the traitor told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion. Traitor? Like he owed you anything in the first place! What an ungrateful little shit. I almost died of humiliation when they put on the neck brace. It looked like the entire school was there, watching soberly as they loaded me in the back of the ambulance. Edward got to ride in the front. It was maddening.
To make matters worse, Chief Swan arrived before they could get me safely away.
Am I the only one a little bothered by this cold way she refers to her father? 'Charlie' is all right I suppose- I know a few kids who call their dad by his first name (I don't know the reason though), but 'Chief Swan'? That's just... I don't know, it bothers me.
"Bella!" he yelled in panic when he recognized me on the stretcher.
"I'm completely fine, Char - Dad," I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me." "Ugh, I'm so exasperated that you care about me after I've been in an accident! Like, omg. *flips hair and examines nails*"
He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion. I tuned him out to consider the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in my head. When they'd lifted me away from the car, I had seen the deep dent in the tan car's bumper - a very distinct dent that fit the contours of Edward's shoulders… as if he had braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame… That cracks me up for some reason. Like those Looney Tunes where someone crashes through a wall and leaves a hole shaped like themselves. This book would be better if the vampires engaged in slapstick humor from time to time. Hell, I know I'd do that if I was a vampire.
And then there was his family, looking on from the distance, with expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety. :(!
I tried to think of a logical solution that could explain what I had just seen - a solution that excluded the assumption that I was insane.
Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me. What made it worse was that Edward simply glided through the hospital doors under his own power. I ground my teeth together. Man, she really resents him. And after he saved her life! Just how do they wind up being attracted to each other, again? I love love-hate relationships, they're cute, but this animosity seems entirely based on Bella's bitchiness. And there's not even any comical bantering!
They put me in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-patterned curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give me some privacy, I decided I wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, I quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed.
TEH REBEL.
Seriously, though, is she thick?
There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed next to me. I recognized Tyler Crowley from my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Tyler looked a hundred times worse than I felt. But he was staring anxiously at me.
"Bella, I'm so sorry!" Another nice guy who is generally concerned about her. Especially because he basically just hit her with his car.
"I'm fine, Tyler - you look awful, are you all right?" Just noting: This is the first time we've seen her show concern for anybody. As we spoke, nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek.
He ignored me. "I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong…" He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face.
"Don't worry about it; you missed me." I think Meyer's a little too fond of those semi-colons. What kind of person uses a semi-colon in everyday speech, seriously?
"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone…"
"Umm… Edward pulled me out of the way."
He looked confused. "Who?"
"Edward Cullen - he was standing next to me." I'd always been a terrible liar; I didn't sound convincing at all.
"Cullen? I didn't see him… wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"
"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher."
I knew I wasn't crazy. What had happened? There was no way to explain away what I'd seen. Aside from, you know, having been mistaken in the split-second between seeing the van skidding towards you and being pulled out of the way. Really. It's not that weird an explanation.
They wheeled me away then, to X-ray my head. I told them there was nothing wrong, and I was right. Not even a concussion. How would you know whether you have a concussion or not? I asked if I could leave, but the nurse said I had to talk to a doctor first. So I was trapped in the ER, waiting, harassed by Tyler's constant apologies and promises to make it up to me. No matter how many times I tried to convince him I was fine, he continued to torment himself.
Finally, I closed my eyes and ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling.
"Is she sleeping?" a musical HAWT voice asked. My eyes flew open.
'Musical' is a perfectly legit way to describe a voice, so this isn't really a legit prod at Meyer for it, but I still think these books would be 100% better if everything the vampires said had to be in song, like that one episode of Buffy. That would be awesome. Can't you just see it?
"THEY GOT.... THE MUSTARD! OUUUUUUUUUT! 8D"
All right, I'm done.
Edward was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking a smirky smirk. I glared at him. It wasn't easy - it would have been more natural to ogle.
"Hey, Edward, I'm really sorry -" Tyler began.
Edward lifted a hand to stop him.
"No blood, OHOHOHOHOHO. no foul," he said, flashing his brilliant HAWT teeth. He moved to sit on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing me. He smirked the smirky smirk again.
"So, what's the verdict?" he asked me.
"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," I complained. Whine whine whine!
"How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"
"It's all about who you know," he answered. "But don't worry, I came to spring you."
Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth fell open. He was young, he was blond… and he was handsomer HAWTER than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Edward's father.
And like I predicted, any 'likable' character in this book has to be OMG HAWT. Seriously, Meyer, wtf? People are capable of being good, intelligent, and friendly human beings even if they're ugly, you know.
"So, Miss Swan," Dr. Cullen said in a remarkably appealing HAWT voice, "how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I said, for the last time, I hoped.
He walked to the lightboard on the wall over my head, and turned it on.
"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."
"It's fine," I repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Edward. "Like, omg. I hate being here. Why didn't you just let me get hit? I'D BE BETTER OFF DEAD OMG NO ONE LOVES ME."
The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along my skull. He noticed when I winced.
"Tender?" he asked.
"Not really." I'd had worse.
I heard a chuckle, and looked over to see Edward's patronizing smile. My eyes narrowed.
"Well, your father is in the waiting room - you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."
"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, imagining Charlie trying to be attentive. Wow. She sure liked it when he was considerate enough to put the chains on her wheels so that she didn't skid around on the ice. I guess that didn't last long, huh? Ungrateful bitch. And also: DUDE! DAY OFF! I'd be all over that sucker like a fat kid on cake!
"Maybe you should take it easy today."
I glanced at Edward. "Does he get to go to school?"
"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived," Edward said smugly.
"Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected, "most of the school seems to be in the waiting room." .... Wow. That would be the most hardcore school ever if they let them do that. At my school? We had school even ont he days that the roads froze to the extent that all the buses were literally two hours late, half the teachers were stuck in unmoving traffic on the highway, and there were car crashes occurring directly in front of the bus stops.
If this happened at my school, they'd have just made all of us go to class. Seriously.
"Oh no," I moaned, covering my face with my hands.
Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to stay?"
"No, no!" I insisted, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly. Too quickly - I staggered, and Dr. Cullen caught me. He looked concerned.
"I'm fine," I assured him again. Um. You know, my main character does this whole "*flails around, while impaled* JUST A FLESH WOUND!" thing, too, but everyone just tells him he's deluded and sedates him until he sits still. No need to tell him my balance problems had nothing to do with hitting my head.
"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested as he steadied me.
"It doesn't hurt that bad," I insisted.
"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as he signed my chart with a flourish.
"Lucky Edward happened to be standing next to me," I amended with a hard glance at the subject of my statement.
"Oh, well, yes," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him. Then he looked away, at Tyler, and walked to the next bed. My intuition flickered; the doctor was in on it. NO. WAY.
"I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Tyler, and began checking his cuts.
As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Edward's side.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. He took a step back from me, his jaw suddenly clenched.
"Your father is waiting for you," he said through his teeth.
I glanced at Dr. Cullen and Tyler.
"I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I pressed.
He glared, and then turned his back and strode down the long room. I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, he spun around to face me.
"What do you want?" he asked, sounding annoyed. His eyes were cold. Totally feel for him there. She hasn't even thanked him for being the reason she isn't roadkill.
His unfriendliness intimidated me. My words came out with less severity than I'd intended. "You owe me an explanation," I reminded him. He totally doesn't.
"I saved your life - I don't owe you anything." Word on, bro.
I flinched back from the resentment in his voice. "You promised."
"Bella, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about." His tone was cutting.
My temper flared now, and I glared defiantly at him. "There's nothing wrong with my head."
He glared back. "What do you want from me, Bella?"
"I want to know the truth," I said. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."
"What do you think happened?" he snapped.
It came out in a rush.
"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me - Tyler didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. Maybe because he was more preoccupied with the fact that he was, I don't know, TRAPPED IN AN OUT-OF-CONTROL, SPINNING VEHICLE? That van was going to crush us both - and it didn't, and your hands left dents in the side of it - and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all - and the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up…" I could hear how crazy it sounded, and I couldn't continue. I was so mad I could feel the tears coming; I tried to force them back by grinding my teeth together.
He was staring at me incredulously. But his face was tense, defensive.
"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone questioned my sanity, but it only made me more suspicious. It was like a perfectly delivered line by a skilled actor. If it had been perfectly delivered, she wouldn't have suspected it.
I merely nodded once, jaw tight.
"Nobody will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of derision now.
"I'm not going to tell anybody." I said each word slowly, carefully controlling my anger.
Surprise flitted across his face. "Then why does it matter?"
"It matters to me," I insisted. "I don't like to lie - so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it." No, she just likes to be a bitch.
"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"
"Thank you." I waited, fuming and expectant. Bitch.
"You're not going to let it go, are you?"
"No. *stomps foot and pouts*"
"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment."
We scowled at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying to keep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by his livid, glorious HAWT face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel.
"Why did you even bother?" I asked frigidly. Jesus. This chick would make Mother Teresa want to choke her. I guarantee you, if someone saved MY life, I sure as hell wouldn't be asking them why they bothered. Even if I did suspect that they had superpowers.
He paused, and for a brief moment his stunning HAWT face was unexpectedly vulnerable.
"I don't know," he whispered. You and me both, Edward.
And then he turned his back on me and walked away.
I was so angry, it took me a few minutes until I could move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit at the end of the hallway.
The waiting room was more unpleasant than I'd feared. It seemed like every face I knew in Forks was there, staring at me. Oh, come on. Minor car accidents happen all the time, everywhere. The notion that the entire town would show up-- or even just everyone she knew-- to see if she was all right, is ridiculously Sueish.
Charlie rushed to my side; I put up my hands.
"There's nothing wrong with me," I assured him sullenly. I was still aggravated, not in the mood for chitchat. Oh. My. Fucking. God. I'd strangle this bitch myself if I was right there. She's in the HOSPITAL, after just nearly getting run over by a VAN, and when her father is UNDERSTANDABLY A LITTLE CONCERNED FOR HER SAFETY, she responds by being 'sullen'. And since when is discussing the fact that she NEARLY GOT RUN OVER BY A VAN 'chitchat'?
Poor Charlie.
"What did the doctor say?"
"Dr. Cullen saw me, and he said I was fine and I could go home." I sighed. "Like omg, being in this hospital is totally cramping my style." Mike and Jessica and Eric were all there Too many 'and's. 'Mike, Jessica, and Eric' would have sufficed., beginning to converge on us. "Let's go," I urged.
Charlie put one arm behind my back, not quite touching me, and led me to the glass doors of the exit. I waved sheepishly at my friends,I'm really confused as to why she refers to them as friends. She obviously doesn't care about them at all. hoping to convey that they didn't need to worry anymore. It was a huge relief- the first time I'd ever felt that way - to get into the cruiser.
We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Charlie was there. I was positive that Edward's defensive behavior in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things I still could hardly believe I'd witnessed.
When we got to the house, Charlie finally spoke.
"Um… you'll need to call Renée." He hung his head, guilty.
I was appalled. "You told Mom!"
Ohhh, yeah, he should be sooo ashamed of himself. What was he THINKING, telling his kid's mother that she just nearly became a splatter on the pavement?
"Sorry."
Don't apologize, Charlie. Your daughter's just a bitch.
I slammed the cruiser's door a little harder than necessary on my way out. Because throwing a tantrum solves everything. How DARE they worry about her safety! My mom was in hysterics, of course. I had to tell her I felt fine at least thirty times before she would calm down. She begged me to come home - forgetting the fact that home was empty at the moment - but her pleas were easier to resist than I would have thought. I was consumed by the mystery Edward presented.
And more than a little obsessed by Edward himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Again, sheeee said it, not me! I wasn't as eager to escape Forks as I should be, as any normal, sane person would be. ... What? WHAT? What does that have to ... What. Did she seriously just imply that anybody who liked this little town, where everyone has been nothing but kind to her, where she made three friends on the very first day, who stand by her even though she doesn't give them any reason to, is not 'normal' or 'sane'? What the fuck, Bella. Now I see why you don't fit in anywhere. It's because you're a complete jerk. Do you reject EVERYONE who's even the slightest bit nice to you?
I decided I might as well go to bed early that night. Charlie continued to watch me anxiously, and it was getting on my nerves. I stopped on my way to grab three Tylenol from the bathroom.
They did help, and, as the pain eased, I drifted to sleep.
That was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen.
No words. Just no words. How could Meyer EVER expect anyone to like this character?
I- ... just.... Jesus.
And all you people who have read this before say she gets WORSE than this?
No words.
TO BE CONTINUED WHEN I GET BACK FROM WYOMING ON THE 23rd!
SYNOPSIS: Bella nearly gets hit by a car, but HAWT Edward saves her! She responds by being a complete bitch to everybody, including Edward. Why do people like this girl?