10. Scent

Chapter Synopsis

Bella doesn’t understand why Edward has to leave the house before Jacob comes over, but Edward assures her it’ll just make it easier for both of them. Before he leaves, though, he makes sure to give Bella a big hug and blow his vampy breath all up in her hair (so that she’ll smell icky to Jake, of course).

Bella starts doing the dishes, but Jacob is there as soon as Eddie-kins disappears, startling Bella with his shirtlessness and silent footsteps. Bella points out Jacob’s new penchant to run around half-naked, and he just explains that it’s easier when you don’t have as many articles of clothing to carry around in your mouth when you’re a giant wolf. Silly Bella.

Jacob dashes upstairs for a sec to catch the scent of this new blood-sucking intruder, and startles Bella once again when he comes back downstairs. He should learn to make a little noise around her; she’s getting awfully soapy from splashing herself constantly while doing these dishes. Jacob informs Bella that her room “reeks,” and then offers to help drying the dishes.

Out of curiosity, Jacob asks Bella what it’s like to have a vampire for a boyfriend. “OMG IT’S SO AWESOME!” is Bella’s answer. Jake is grossed out to know that Bella and Eddie smooch every now and then. He then wants to know exactly when she’s planning on joining them. When Bella tells him graduation, Jacob slices his hand on the large knife he happens to be drying.

Bella almost pukes and passes out, but forces herself to be all mom-like and try to take care of him. Jacob doesn’t seem too perturbed (and, we, as intelligent readers, of course know that Jacob heals super fast), but Bella freaks out. She seems to think wrapping a dish towel around the deep gash will help, and insists that Jacob let her drive him to the ER. Jake makes Bella calm down long enough for her to see that the oozing gash now just looks like an old scar — yeah, he heals THAT fast. Bella responds by cleaning the kitchen with bleach, justifying that it’ll make it easier on Edward. (We, however, can’t imagine that Edward would be the least bit drawn to the blood of a werewolf…)

Jacob then asks Bella what it’s like having a werewolf for a best friend. She tells him it’s good, when the werewolf is being nice. Jake pulls Bella into a big wolf hug, but tells her she smells yucky. Before he leaves, Jacob invites Bella to a bonfire in La Push that night — all the gang will be there. Bella promises she’ll ask.

Edward comes back, and asks Bella what happened in the kitchen — in her haste to bleach everything in sight, she forgot to clean the bloody knife. Oops. Edward then delivers Bella the mail, which includes an acceptance letter from Dartmouth. We are lead to believe that Edward forged Bella’s application and/or bribed them. Awesome. Ed yet again tells Bella that she should wait longer before she’s changed, in order to experience college for a little while. Bella, of course, is opposed to this idea — especially since it would mean Edward paying for most of it.

The washing machine interrupts their lovey-dovey tiff, and Bella is reminded of the clothing and pillow she couldn’t find in her room. She tells Edward to ask Alice what she did with it, and Edward assures her that Alice didn’t take anything but Bella’s overnighting essentials. Then, of course, they finally realize (loooooong after we have, naturally), that the “intruder” must have taken things with Bella’s scent on them. But whyyyy?

Edward calls Carlizzle right away to let him know, and peruses another article about the young vampire terrorizing Seattle. Edward mulls over things out loud — the Seattle case is odd; it’s been going on for too long, and can’t be the work of just one vampire. But who’s creating them? Whoever it is must not be aware of the Volturi. Edward says the Cullens may have to go try to talk to these newbies.

He finally reminds Bella that she wanted to ask him something (he was just eavesdropping on the end of her and Jacob’s conversation; no biggie). Ed tells Bella that if she wants to go to the werewolf bonfire, it’s okay with him. (Yeah, we’re kinda shocked, too!) He just has a couple of conditions — he’ll drive her to the boundary line (and pick her back up later), and she’ll take a cell phone with her. Everyone else is all for this idea, too, including Charlie and Jacob.

Bella decides that she’s going to return her motorcycle to Jacob’s garage instead of selling it; once she no longer needs it, Jake can at least profit from it. In order to do this, she and Edward need to retrieve the bike from the Cullens’ garage complex. When they get there, Bella is astonished to see a big, shiny, expensive motorcycle sitting next to hers. Edward invested in one so he could ride with her. (Gag us.) But, judging by Bella’s expression and lack of enthusiasm about the idea of riding bikes with her boo, Ed realizes that the motorcycle thing is a special something between Bella and Jacob. You no can has wind in your hair, Edward.

Edward brushes it off; he says he saw Jasper eyeing the new bike anyway. Edward then gifts Bella with some practical riding gear — a helmet and a leather jacket — and tells her she looks really sexy wearing it. (Bahahaha.) Bella, of course, doesn’t believe him.

Edward eventually drives Bella to the boundary line and hands her over to Jacob, bike and all. Then he kisses her passionately in front of Jake (classy, Ed, real classy) before he says goodbye. Jacob responds in kind with a crushing wolf hug as soon as Bella is officially over the line.

Best Worst Lines

“He grinned. ‘Does my being half-naked bother you?’” (216)

“I stared at the beautiful machine. Beside it, my bike looked like a broken tricycle. I felt a sudden wave of sadness when I realized that this was not a bad analogy for the way I probably looked next to Edward.” (233)

Things That Really Irk Us

How can Edward have changed his mind about Jacob so fully and so suddenly? We’re not sure we’re buying it. Then again, we’re not buying any of this shit…

Bella freaking out about Jacob slicing his hand open. Doesn’t she remember anything he tells her? Also, the bleach cleaning is unnecessary. Is this another way SMeyer is trying to get us to believe that Bella is suffering from OCD?

Edward calling Bella sexy. Bahahahaha. It still cracks us up.

Final Thoughts

Is the whole “intruder”/Seattle newbie vamps business supposed to be suspenseful? ‘Cause it’s not. We’re more interested in what will happen at the werewolf bonfire. Will they light the kindling with their body heat?

Go to Chapter 11.