How It All Goes Down
- The next day, Edward isn't at school, which is good. However, just about all of the Forks High boys are a little too interested in Bella. Mike, a boy in Biology, is "taking on the qualities of a golden retriever" (2.8).
- Back at Charlie's house, Bella is settling in and has assigned herself kitchen duty (Charlie can't cook anything but eggs and bacon, which can get old pretty quickly).
- A couple days later, Edward still hasn't returned to school:
For all I knew, he had dropped out of school. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous at it seemed. (2.60) - The boys at school – Mike and Eric, in particular – continue to compete for Bella's attention. And Bella makes a few girlfriends, including Jessica.
- The next week, Edward is back. Bella accidentally catches his eye in the lunchroom:
I dropped my head, letting my hair fall to conceal my face. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way. (2.94) - In Biology class, Edward is being all friendly:
My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say. (2.111) - Basically, Bella's mind turns to mush in Edward's presence. And when he accidentally touches her during lab, his fingers are icy cold.
- Bella feels like she's an "open book," but Edward says, "On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read" (2.201). He seems to find Bella interesting, and manages to pull more information out of her that she wants to reveal:
I was in disbelief that I'd just explained my dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy who may or may not despise me. He seemed engrossed in our conversation, but now I could see, from the corner of my eye, that he was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension. (2.204)