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kippurbirdChapter four, Invitation
Bella dreams about Edward, who is either radioactive or glows in the dark. Maybe both. After all, with an image like this: In my dream it was very dark, and what dim light there was seemed to be radiating from Edward's skin. This is not an attractive image! Glow in the dark people aren't healthy! Even if they're dead! Even worse if they're dead because then there's something funky with the radioactivity, not to say that there isn't stuff funky with radio activity in the first place, I mean look at Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk. Now I'm wondering if he bites her would she get some sort of superpower or something. Back on track. After this dream she dreams of him every night. OOOOH That must mean that they're important or something!!
We skip forward a month were Bella finds everyone's constant concern and curiosity about her accident annoying and she picks up another boy -Tyler- in her fan club as he tries to make up for almost hitting her. Everyone comments on how amazing it is that Edward just suddenly showed up in time to rescue her, but don't go beyond that. They're not at all curious or bother Edward. Now this could be because he's creepy, or because he mind whammies them to leave him alone. Bella never wonders why they don't bother him. She just notes that they don't.
She has issues with Edward in class as well. As in he won't speak to her and tries to keep as far away from her as possible. The reason she thinks he's acting like this? She thinks he wished he didn't pull her free from the van. She wants to thank him, but he just kinda pretends she's not there. Mean while his eyes start to change color. Woo
Finally we get to a spring dance where the girls ask the guys out. Jessica her friend asks her if it's okay that she asks Mike out. Bella is okay with this because she doesn't want to go to the dance being terminally clumsy. You don't actually have to dance at a dance. But see, this excuse is just set up. All those who saw this coming raise their hands.
The next day Mike Jessica is unhappy and Mike is all weird. When Bella and Mike are in Biology class together, Mike wants to know if she's going to ask him to the dance. She says no and that she's not going to the dance at all. Instead she's going to Seattle that weekend. Mike wants to know if she's sure and of course, she is. Edward then looks at her funny which makes her feel odd.
At the end of class Edward talks to her for a moment.
"Bella?" His voice shouldn't have been so familiar to me, as if I'd known
the sound of it all my life rather than for just a few short weeks.
I turned slowly, unwillingly. I didn't want to feel what I knew I would
feel when I looked at his too-perfect face. My expression was wary when I
finally turned to him; his expression was unreadable. He didn't say
anything.
"What? Are you speaking to me again?" I finally asked, an unintentional
note of petulance in my voice.
His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "No, not really," he admitted.
I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly through my nose, aware that I was
gritting my teeth. He waited.
"Then what do you want, Edward?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed; it was
easier to talk to him coherently that way.
"I'm sorry." He sounded sincere. "I'm being very rude, I know. But it's
better this way, really."
I opened my eyes. His face was very serious.
"I don't know what you mean," I said, my voice guarded.
"It's better if we're not friends," he explained. "Trust me."
My eyes narrowed. I'd heard that before.
Several interesting things of note here. One that she feels like she's known his voice for her entire life. This is a fairly typical motif when it comes to true love stories. It's like they've known each other their entire lives and it's only circumstances that keep them apart. Second is that Edward point blank says its better that they shouldn't be friends. Notice the SHOULDN'T not can't.This indicates that they are friends even though they actually have done anything to be friends. He's ignored her and avoided her and doesn't talk to her or anything. The only time he could have been considered friendly is when they were doing that one biology lab after Edward got back from where ever he was. Bella accuses him of regretting saving her life and he tells her that she doesn't know anything. Obviously another hint of true love, after all he wouldn't be able to live without her, now would he?
In another faux clumsy moment Bella trips and starts to drop all her books but Edward is there to give them back to her. A perfect timing rescue for a damsel in distress. As he can't rescue her from dragons he's rescuing her from herself. Her clumsiness continues in basketball and it's getting sort of ridiculous. If someone is that clumsy they probably have some sort of inner ear problem and should get that looked into. But that would get rid of her one flaw. Beyond being a supreme bitch, which isn't a flaw at all.
Eric asks her out to the dance and she rejects him saying, once again, that she's going to Seattle. Edward in his shiny new car cuts her off and makes her have to wait. Tyler is behind her and he comes up to ask her to the dance as well. It's getting a bit silly. And Edward laughs at her.
When she gets home, Bella plays matchmaker. Jessica calls her up and tells her that Mike accepted her invitation to the dance. She then wants to call her two other friends.
I suggested— with casual innocence — that maybe Angela, the shy girl who had Biologywith me, could ask Eric. And Lauren, a standoffish girl who had always
ignored me at the lunch table, could ask Tyler; I'd heard he was still
available. Jess thought that was a great idea.
Because you know all nerdy and shy girls like to hang out with nerdy boys which makes them a perfect match for each other. How utterly not understanding how people really are is that? What if the shy girl utterly hates Eric's guts? Then were would they be? But wait! It's this strange alternate reality where Bella is always right. And it will turn out that Eric and Mike and Tyler will probably be happy with their matches.
Meanwhile as Bella makes dinner she thinks about how Edward is, "Interesting… and brilliant… and mysterious… and perfect… and beautiful…and possibly able to lift full-sized vans with one hand." Meanwhile she herself isn't interesting at all.
Near the end of dinner she asks permission to go to Seattle. In the most obnoxious way possible. ""Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday… if that's okay?" I didn't want to ask permission — it set a bad precedent — but I felt rude, so I tacked it on at the end. " So asking permission from your parent/guardian to go somewhere is rude? And how is it setting a bad precedent? Asking for permission is a good thing, it lets your parents learn to trust you so that you can go out and do other things later. At least that's my theory...
He gives her permission after asking about the gas and how is she going to get around when she doesn't know the city, he lets her go. When he asks why isn't she going to the dance, she says it's because she's clumsy, like him. My response to that is they're not going to let someone who is terminally klutzy to become a sheriff. Just my thoughts.
When she gets to school the next day she runs into Edward again. Or he runs into her. After him pissing her off by mentioning that he deliberately caused the traffic jam so that Tyler could get a chance to ask her to ask him to the dance, Edward wants to know if she wants company on the way to Seattle.
The most bizzare conversation follows.
"Honestly, Edward." I felt a thrill go through me as I said his name, and
I hated it. "I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my
friend."
"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want
to be."
"Oh, thanks, now that's all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm. I realized I had
stopped walking again. We were under the shelter of the cafeteria roof
now, so I could more easily look at his face. Which certainly didn't help
my clarity of thought.
"It would be more… prudent for you not to be my friend," he explained."But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella." His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence, his voice smoldering. I couldn't remember how to breathe.
"Will you go with me to Seattle?" he asked, still intense.
I couldn't speak yet, so I just nodded.
He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious. "You really should stay away from me," he warned. "I'll see you in class."
Do you have any idea what just happened here? We shouldn't be friends for some unexplained reason and you shouldn't be near me, but I'm still going to ignore what I just said by making it hard for you to stay away and not be my friend. I'm getting creepy stalker/rapist vibe here. In a way he's calling her stupid and that everything that follows is going to be her fault because she didn't heed his warning. If he doesn't want her to be near her or anything like that then he shouldn't tempt her. The fact that he's doing this makes me feel like something bad is going to happen.
Bella dreams about Edward, who is either radioactive or glows in the dark. Maybe both. After all, with an image like this: In my dream it was very dark, and what dim light there was seemed to be radiating from Edward's skin. This is not an attractive image! Glow in the dark people aren't healthy! Even if they're dead! Even worse if they're dead because then there's something funky with the radioactivity, not to say that there isn't stuff funky with radio activity in the first place, I mean look at Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk. Now I'm wondering if he bites her would she get some sort of superpower or something. Back on track. After this dream she dreams of him every night. OOOOH That must mean that they're important or something!!
We skip forward a month were Bella finds everyone's constant concern and curiosity about her accident annoying and she picks up another boy -Tyler- in her fan club as he tries to make up for almost hitting her. Everyone comments on how amazing it is that Edward just suddenly showed up in time to rescue her, but don't go beyond that. They're not at all curious or bother Edward. Now this could be because he's creepy, or because he mind whammies them to leave him alone. Bella never wonders why they don't bother him. She just notes that they don't.
She has issues with Edward in class as well. As in he won't speak to her and tries to keep as far away from her as possible. The reason she thinks he's acting like this? She thinks he wished he didn't pull her free from the van. She wants to thank him, but he just kinda pretends she's not there. Mean while his eyes start to change color. Woo
Finally we get to a spring dance where the girls ask the guys out. Jessica her friend asks her if it's okay that she asks Mike out. Bella is okay with this because she doesn't want to go to the dance being terminally clumsy. You don't actually have to dance at a dance. But see, this excuse is just set up. All those who saw this coming raise their hands.
The next day Mike Jessica is unhappy and Mike is all weird. When Bella and Mike are in Biology class together, Mike wants to know if she's going to ask him to the dance. She says no and that she's not going to the dance at all. Instead she's going to Seattle that weekend. Mike wants to know if she's sure and of course, she is. Edward then looks at her funny which makes her feel odd.
At the end of class Edward talks to her for a moment.
"Bella?" His voice shouldn't have been so familiar to me, as if I'd known
the sound of it all my life rather than for just a few short weeks.
I turned slowly, unwillingly. I didn't want to feel what I knew I would
feel when I looked at his too-perfect face. My expression was wary when I
finally turned to him; his expression was unreadable. He didn't say
anything.
"What? Are you speaking to me again?" I finally asked, an unintentional
note of petulance in my voice.
His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "No, not really," he admitted.
I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly through my nose, aware that I was
gritting my teeth. He waited.
"Then what do you want, Edward?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed; it was
easier to talk to him coherently that way.
"I'm sorry." He sounded sincere. "I'm being very rude, I know. But it's
better this way, really."
I opened my eyes. His face was very serious.
"I don't know what you mean," I said, my voice guarded.
"It's better if we're not friends," he explained. "Trust me."
My eyes narrowed. I'd heard that before.
Several interesting things of note here. One that she feels like she's known his voice for her entire life. This is a fairly typical motif when it comes to true love stories. It's like they've known each other their entire lives and it's only circumstances that keep them apart. Second is that Edward point blank says its better that they shouldn't be friends. Notice the SHOULDN'T not can't.This indicates that they are friends even though they actually have done anything to be friends. He's ignored her and avoided her and doesn't talk to her or anything. The only time he could have been considered friendly is when they were doing that one biology lab after Edward got back from where ever he was. Bella accuses him of regretting saving her life and he tells her that she doesn't know anything. Obviously another hint of true love, after all he wouldn't be able to live without her, now would he?
In another faux clumsy moment Bella trips and starts to drop all her books but Edward is there to give them back to her. A perfect timing rescue for a damsel in distress. As he can't rescue her from dragons he's rescuing her from herself. Her clumsiness continues in basketball and it's getting sort of ridiculous. If someone is that clumsy they probably have some sort of inner ear problem and should get that looked into. But that would get rid of her one flaw. Beyond being a supreme bitch, which isn't a flaw at all.
Eric asks her out to the dance and she rejects him saying, once again, that she's going to Seattle. Edward in his shiny new car cuts her off and makes her have to wait. Tyler is behind her and he comes up to ask her to the dance as well. It's getting a bit silly. And Edward laughs at her.
When she gets home, Bella plays matchmaker. Jessica calls her up and tells her that Mike accepted her invitation to the dance. She then wants to call her two other friends.
I suggested— with casual innocence — that maybe Angela, the shy girl who had Biologywith me, could ask Eric. And Lauren, a standoffish girl who had always
ignored me at the lunch table, could ask Tyler; I'd heard he was still
available. Jess thought that was a great idea.
Because you know all nerdy and shy girls like to hang out with nerdy boys which makes them a perfect match for each other. How utterly not understanding how people really are is that? What if the shy girl utterly hates Eric's guts? Then were would they be? But wait! It's this strange alternate reality where Bella is always right. And it will turn out that Eric and Mike and Tyler will probably be happy with their matches.
Meanwhile as Bella makes dinner she thinks about how Edward is, "Interesting… and brilliant… and mysterious… and perfect… and beautiful…and possibly able to lift full-sized vans with one hand." Meanwhile she herself isn't interesting at all.
Near the end of dinner she asks permission to go to Seattle. In the most obnoxious way possible. ""Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday… if that's okay?" I didn't want to ask permission — it set a bad precedent — but I felt rude, so I tacked it on at the end. " So asking permission from your parent/guardian to go somewhere is rude? And how is it setting a bad precedent? Asking for permission is a good thing, it lets your parents learn to trust you so that you can go out and do other things later. At least that's my theory...
He gives her permission after asking about the gas and how is she going to get around when she doesn't know the city, he lets her go. When he asks why isn't she going to the dance, she says it's because she's clumsy, like him. My response to that is they're not going to let someone who is terminally klutzy to become a sheriff. Just my thoughts.
When she gets to school the next day she runs into Edward again. Or he runs into her. After him pissing her off by mentioning that he deliberately caused the traffic jam so that Tyler could get a chance to ask her to ask him to the dance, Edward wants to know if she wants company on the way to Seattle.
The most bizzare conversation follows.
"Honestly, Edward." I felt a thrill go through me as I said his name, and
I hated it. "I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my
friend."
"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want
to be."
"Oh, thanks, now that's all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm. I realized I had
stopped walking again. We were under the shelter of the cafeteria roof
now, so I could more easily look at his face. Which certainly didn't help
my clarity of thought.
"It would be more… prudent for you not to be my friend," he explained."But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella." His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence, his voice smoldering. I couldn't remember how to breathe.
"Will you go with me to Seattle?" he asked, still intense.
I couldn't speak yet, so I just nodded.
He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious. "You really should stay away from me," he warned. "I'll see you in class."
Do you have any idea what just happened here? We shouldn't be friends for some unexplained reason and you shouldn't be near me, but I'm still going to ignore what I just said by making it hard for you to stay away and not be my friend. I'm getting creepy stalker/rapist vibe here. In a way he's calling her stupid and that everything that follows is going to be her fault because she didn't heed his warning. If he doesn't want her to be near her or anything like that then he shouldn't tempt her. The fact that he's doing this makes me feel like something bad is going to happen.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 05:15 am (UTC)"Will you go with me to Seattle?" he asked, still intense.
I couldn't speak yet, so I just nodded.
He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious. "You really should stay away from me," he warned. "I'll see you in class."
What the FUCK WAS THAT?!?!
Also, I forget where Bella moved to, but isn't she on far away from Seattle? And Bella, you're still in highschool, why the fuck would your dad let you go to another STATE?!?
Whiny little self absorbed bitch.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 05:21 am (UTC)But other than that? Yeah.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 05:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 06:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 06:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 06:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 07:48 am (UTC)available.
Wait, she doesn't know Lauren, right? Or Tyler, really? So why is she trying to set them up?
On the other hand, the line for Twilight in this weekend's Spectrum is amusing: 'Horrors! A young woman falls for a vampire'. Might not've been meant that way, but… *grins*
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 09:25 am (UTC)Funny you should say that...
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 09:32 am (UTC)Damn, this is bad.
Concerning the trust issue for the Seattle part, I'm totally on your side. Either the character is weird or the author wasn't raised like most of the rest of her peers.
The plot threads are gigantic and I really feel for you to have to continue.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 03:26 pm (UTC)And if you think about it, since the guy can pass for an adult, why not just stay away from humans, since walking around a school full of young humans is like putting me in a bakery and telling me not to eat?
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 03:41 pm (UTC)"Hi. You should stay away from me. Because I'm bad. Yet I cannot resist you, so here I shall stay."
*facepalm*
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 03:47 pm (UTC)Me: Oh,Twilight? Do you like it?
Cousin: Yeah. It's easy reading. You?
Me: Naw, can't get in it. I can't read a book where I hate the main character.
Cousin: Who? Bella or Edward.
Me: Both. They're flawed, and not in a good way.
Sister: You're such a snob.
Thank you, Kipper, for saving my poor brain. I tried reading this book, and felt my IQ drop before the end of the first chapter. You're a brave one. Take a few shots of your favorite drink and large helping of whatever comfort food you like, cause you've earned it.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 03:49 pm (UTC)"I can't be friends with you, but I want to be friends with you. You have to stay away from me, but do you want to run off to Seattle? Oh, no, wait, stay away from me. I'll see you in class. Bye."
"Ok, Edward, time to stop smoking that sparkly blue crack, honey."
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:26 pm (UTC)My parents had issues of me going around LA by myself when I first learned to drive, and I've lived here all my life. Strange city? Not a chance in Hell.
EVERYONE in this book is an implausible character.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:27 pm (UTC)Because obviously, since Bella thought of it, it's a good idea.
Spectrum?
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:28 pm (UTC)I'm right, aren't I?
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:30 pm (UTC)Yes and yes.
I could put Belgium in them.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:32 pm (UTC)Eatbe with her.You're using logic. Stop it.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:45 pm (UTC)Yes, it is easy reading. But yes it also makes my head hurt. You need to turn off your brain to read it.
My IQ permanently dropped after Eldest. So, I'm too stupid to stop doing these.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 04:49 pm (UTC)Isn't it sad when you realize that a friend or family member has no taste?
I started reading it after a bunch of online friends started snarking on it themselves (which I got through TOTALLY LEGAL ONLINE MEANS. Yes. *nods*) I'm glad I did, because I don't think I would want to pay for a book that left me alternating between giggles and groans, all of the unintentional variety.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-12 06:13 pm (UTC)