#our stoner Bella here is GIRLS ONLY

[magicianpanache]

Reading Midnight Sun: Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Edward goes back to high school, and spends a month ignoring Bella. And by ignoring, I mean, of course, stalking her by reading her friend’s minds (well, more like “friends”, since we know from Twilight that Bella doesn’t like them at all)

Interestingly, we also get some filler about what happened during this period of time that Bella mostly skipped over.

Apparently, Bella teamed up with a stoner girl failing biology for a school project (which Edward is completely baffled by). It’s a good example of Bella’s selflessness, which were lacking from Twilight. It’s actually almost a retcon, because the stoner wasn’t mentioned in Twilight, nor was Bella interested in the slightest by her schoolmates. It’s a rather good change, though. She also saved Eric from embarrassment when he said he wanted to go to comic con, and her classmates started to tease him for it.

Follows a list of selfless things Bella did which were never mentioned in Twilight:

It was often like this with her: never stepping out of her quiet comfort zone except for someone else’s perceived need; changing the subject whenever her circle of human friends grew too cruel to one another; thanking a teacher for their lesson if that teacher seemed down; giving up her locker for a more inconvenient location so two best friends could be neighbors; smiling a certain smile that never surfaced for her contented friends, only revealing itself to someone who was hurting. Little things that none of her acquaintances or admirers ever seemed to see. 

But Edward sees it, guys ! He’s a NiceGuyTM.

Edward strokes his ego counter: 4

Edward is really easily pleased, let me tell you that.

It helped that he never noticed her small revelations, her little slips. He knew nothing about her. He’d created a Bella in his head who didn’t exist—a girl just as generic as he was.

Not going to lie, I laughed out loud at that. Here’s the thing. Edward notices dozens of things about Bella that thousands of other teenagers do. He never notices, though, because those teenagers also think about indecent things like sex or violence. He created a selfless, kind, mysterious girl in his head and nothing she will do in the series will be able to change his mind (stringing Jacob along, for example).  I also can’t help but wonder if those little things she does are intentional. How does he know if she thanks the teacher because he’s feeling down, rather than because he’s really interesting, or that she just doesn’t care where her locker is, or even that the other location is better, from her perspective ?

He doesn’t know, of course. But he can project what fits with her delicate aesthetic.

Did I love her? I did not think so. Not yet. Alice’s glimpses of that future had stayed with me, though, and I could see how easy it would be to fall into loving Bella. It would be exactly like falling: effortless. Not letting myself love her was the opposite of falling—it was pulling myself up a cliff face, hand over hand, the task as grueling as if I had no more than mortal strength.

He starts to view Mike as a romantic rival during this month. 

All the same, I frequently amused myself by imagining backhanding him across the room and into the far wall.

Very mature, but you know what ? I won’t hold it against him. We all have our violent fantasies. It’s not as if he would actually do it.

Then, Bella gets asked out three times for prom and Edward almost dies of jealousy.

“Let’s go!” Rosalie hissed impatiently. “Stop being an idiot. If you can.”

Bitchy blond moment #5

Rosalie isn’t allowed to be annoyed that Edward is stalling for no reason.

That night, for the first time, it occurs to Edward that Bella is very fragile, she could be hit by a meteorite or eaten by a vampire bear, so he decides that going to stalk her even more by watching her sleep is the best thing he could possibly do. It’s okay, though, because

What were human rules to me, after all? How many did I ignore on a daily basis?

His internal conflict ends when Bella mumbles his name, asking him not to leave. This is the turning point of Edward’s life. He’s in love with her.

Which means he can speak to her now. And he’s very charming.

“How do you do that?” she demanded.

Yes, she was still angry.

[...] “Do what?”

[...]

“Appear out of thin air,” she clarified.

“Bella, it’s not my fault if you are exceptionally unobservant.”

Sweet, sweet gaslighting.  A few moments later:

“Bella, you are utterly absurd,” I snapped.

Her face flushed, and she turned her back on me. She began to walk away. Remorse. My anger was unfair.

“Wait,” I pleaded. She did not stop, so I followed her.

“I’m sorry, that was rude. I’m not saying it isn’t true”—it was absurd to imagine that I wanted her harmed in any way —“but it was rude to say it, anyway.” 

The love story of our lifetime. You know, Edward is very judgy about the fact some people don’t know things they have no way of knowing.

Edward proceeds to ask her out to Seattle, surprising Bella.

Was it really such a shock that I would want her company? She must have applied the worst possible meaning to my past behavior. 

What’s the worst meaning she could imagine ? It seems to me she interpreted correctly you did not want to speak to her…

Conclusions

In this chapter we see Edward’s delusions full swing, which is pretty worrying, honestly. The chapter starts with Edward ignoring Bella, and ends with Edward being surprised Bella thinks he doesn't want to hang out with her.

He starts to cross some lines in a very severe way, by stalking her and watching her sleep at night. He’s also very rude to her. Luckily for him, he’s attractive, which is pretty much the only thing Bella cares about, to be honest.

[bechloeislegit]

PITCH PERFECT HORROR WEEK - DAY 1

(#PPHW1): Who Done it? [Scooby Doo Mystery] 

 "Dinner's ready," Chloe yelled up the stairs, her voice echoing up and down the hall.

The girls dropped what they were doing and rushed to get downstairs. Everyone loved when Chloe cooked. The only girls missing were Flo, Lily, and Emily, who had a late class. Chloe did promise them that she'd save them some dinner.

Up in the attic room, Fat Amy knocked Beca back on her bed as she rushed to get downstairs. Beca bounced once and jumped to her feet.

"I'm okay, Ames," Beca called out to the Aussie's retreating back. "Don't worry about me."

Beca shook her head and followed Amy down the stairs. She was just coming down the second set of stairs when there was a knock at the door. Amy hurried past it yelling, "Someone's at the door."

"No worries, Amy," Beca called to her. "I'll get it."

Beca huffed and answered the door to find four people and a huge-ass dog standing in front of her. She looked the group up and down. They were all dressed in some kind of clothes that were a throwback to the 1970s.

"Um, Halloween isn't for another week," Beca said. "Come back then."

Beca started to close the door when one of the guys, a blond, put his foot in the door. "We only need a moment of your time."

Beca looked down at the guy's foot and then back up to the guy's face with a raised eyebrow. The two girls standing there were looking at Beca expectantly and the second guy looked like he was stoned or something. The next thing she knew the door flew all the way open and she was knocked to the floor by the dog as he flew past her heading toward the kitchen.

"Scooby," the tall, lanky stoned guy called out and ran after him.

Beca heard screams and squeals signifying that the dog had found the Bellas. She jumped up and ran into the kitchen, followed by the other three kids that were at the door.

"Get that dog out of here!," Beca heard Stacie yelling.

Beca ran in to see the dog scarfing down almost all the food that was on the counter.

"Sorry, girls," the stoned guy said. "Come on, Scooby. I'll give you a scooby snack."

"A snack?," Beca mumbled. "After all that food he just ate and a snack is going to make him stop?"

The dog sat on his haunches and wagged his tail. The guy threw a dog treat at the large Great Dane and stood looking at the girls who were all looking at their guests.

"Oh, allow me to make proper introductions," the blond guy said. "I'm Fred," he pointed to the redhead next to him, "this is Daphne," and then pointed to a shorter brunette with glasses, "and that's Velma."

The girls all turned their heads to the lanky, stoner guy. "Oh, I'm Shaggy," he said and pulled the dog to him. "And, this is Scooby Doo. And we are all detectives with Mystery, Inc."

"Why are you here?," Beca asked.

"We were in our Mystery Machine -"

"Mystery Machine?," Chloe interrupted.

"That's the name of our van," Shaggy said.

"Oh," Chloe said.

"Anyway," Daphne continued. "We tracked a robbery suspect here and we wanted to search the premises."

"You're not cops," Stacie said. "We don't have to let you search."

"She's right," Cynthia Rose said.

"You're just looking for a person?," Beca asked.

"Yes," Velma said. "Our equipment is state of the art and we managed to track the person we think is responsible for a number of unexplained robberies."

"What do you mean by unexplained robberies?," Ashley asked.

"They leave no clues behind," Fred said. "There are no fingerprints, no hair, no fibers; nothing. There is literally no forensic evidence, none. All the robberies happen after hours, and there are no signs of a break in."

"Then how do they know there was a robbery?," Jessica asked.

"They find money missing," Daphne said. "Lots and lots of missing money."

Beca looked around the room and said, "Everyone you see in this room belongs-"

CRASH! BANG!

"What the hell was that?," everyone yelled.

"It came from the basement," Fred said as he, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy move toward the basement door.

"Don't go down there!," the girls all yelled. "It's haunted."

"Come on, Scooby," Shaggy called for the dog.

Scooby looked all around and ignored Shaggy. Suddenly a Scooby snack came flying at him and he nabbed it and trotted off to follow Shaggy and the gang.

Fred is the first to the door and reaches out his hand to open it.

"Seriously, dudes," Beca said as she ran over to stop him. "It's haunted."

"There are no such things as ghosts," Velma said.

"I didn't say there were ghosts," Beca retorted. "I said it's haunted. Things happen, like weird noises, and one minute it's warm and the next it's freezing. Our friend Lily is even afraid to go down there and she scares all of us."

"We'll chance it," Fred said as he turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

Creeeaaaak!

The girls all stepped back as the door slowly creaked open. Fred reached for the light switch and flipped it a couple of times; nothing happened. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He turned on his flashlight app and looked down the stairs.

"It looks clear," Fred said.

"Let's go then," Velma said and pushed Fred to get him moving.

Fred started down the steps, and the other three 'detectives' followed closely behind, with Scooby bringing up the rear. As soon as Scooby was through the door, it slammed shut with a BANG!

"Ahhhhh," the Bellas screamed in perfect harmony.

"Impressive," Amy said looking around with a smirk.

Beca and Cynthia Rose ran to the door and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge.

"What the hell?," Beca said.

CRASH! BANG!

Beca and Cynthia Rose jumped back from the door.

"Should we check on them?," Chloe asked from behind Beca, causing her and Cynthia Rose to squeal and jump again.

"I'm not going down there," Beca said her eyes wide.

"Don't be such a baby," Chloe said.

"Fine," Beca said. "You go check on them."

"I will," Chloe said and reached for the doorknob. She twisted and the door silently opened.

"How the hell did you do that?," Beca asked.

The door opening sent a blast of arctic air into the kitchen. Chloe shivered. "Th-that's co-co-cold."

"Close the door," Beca shouted frantically.

The cold air was gone as quickly as it had come. Chloe looked over her shoulder at the Bellas and pulled out her phone. She also used the flashlight app to see down the stairs.

"Someone gonna come with me?"

"I'll go," Cynthia Rose volunteered.

"Us, too," Jessica and Ashley said.

The three girls stood behind Chloe and looked down into the basement as far as the light illuminated.

"Wait," Stacie said. "Someone should stand at the door so it doesn't slam shut again. You do it, Amy."

"Why me?," Amy asked.

"Because you're the big-," Stacie started to say and cleared her throat. "Strongest of us all."

"True," Amy said and stood behind Chloe and the other girls. "I'll make sure the door doesn't close on you."

"Thanks, Amy," Jessica said.

"Let's do this," Chloe said with a false sense of bravado.

She started down the steps and the others followed. Chloe slowly stepped down each step and looked around. The other girls were so close they were holding onto each other's shirts to keep them together. As soon as Jessica cleared the door it started closing, only to bounce back open because Amy was standing in the way.

"Ouch," Amy cried when the door slammed into her. "That hurt."

Beca hurried over to her and looked down the steps. "You okay, Amy?"

"Yeah," Amy said. "I'm fine."

Beca continued to look down the steps. She couldn't see anyone or even the light from Chloe's flashlight.

"Where are they?"

"Who?"

"Chloe and the others."

Amy turned to look down the steps, and her eyes grew wide when she heard screams.

"Chloe!"

Beca started to go downstairs, and Amy pulled her back. "No, Beca," Amy said holding her back.

Suddenly, Beca and Amy were knocked to the floor when Jessica, Ashley, Cynthia Rose, and Chloe came running through the door into the kitchen.

"Close the door! Close the door!," the four girls yelled.

Beca jumped up and slammed the basement door closed. She clicked the lock into place and ran over to the other girls. Amy was a little slower getting up; once she was up she joined the other girls around the kitchen counter.

"What the hell happened?," Beca asked.

Chloe ran into her arms and Beca held her. "It was so scary. There was dark and then we heard noises that sounded like scratching and gnawing."

"It's okay, Chlo," Beca said holding onto Chloe. "I got you."

"Where are those other guys?," Amy asked.

"Gone," Cynthia Rose said.

"What do you mean, gone?," Beca asked.

"Gone, as in they are not down there," Jessica said, her face still pale from whatever they encountered.

"They have to be down there," Beca said, confused. "We saw them go down there."

"But they're not down there now," Chloe said and shivered, causing Beca to pull her closer.

CRASH! BANG!

"Jesus," Beca hissed as Chloe hugged her harder as she squealed in fright.

"I need to get out of here," Stacie said and turned to leave the kitchen.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The girls all screamed and turned to look at the basement door where the knocking was coming from. They were all now huddled into one mass, staring at the basement door.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The girls screamed again and turned as one to look down the hall to the front door where the knocking came from.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Came from the basement door.

The girls turn as one and look at the basement door.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Came from the front door.

The girls' heads were going back and forth, first looking at the basement door and then the front door. Suddenly, the knocking was coming from both doors at the same time. The girls started screaming and were falling all over each other trying to figure out where they could go that was safe. They were in a heap on the floor when suddenly the basement door flew open with a loud BANG!

The girls jumped up and ran to the front door screaming. Amy was first to the door and threw it open. The girls screamed and ran out of the house, knocking over Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy who had been standing at the door. As soon as Ashley crossed the threshold to the porch the front porch the door slammed shut.

The girls screamed as they gathered together on the front lawn. Fred stood and helped Daphne and Velma up. Scooby grabbed Shaggy by the scruff of his t-shirt and pulled him up. Fred tried to open the front door and it wouldn't open. The four went down to the girls standing on the lawn.

"What happened?," Fred asked.

The girls started talking at once.

"Cold air..."

"Strange knocking...

"Door closed on its own…"

"How did you guys get out of the basement without us seeing you?," Cynthia Rose asked.

"We found a door behind a bookshelf," Fred explained. "We checked it out and we ended up outside. The door slammed shut behind us so we had to come around to the front door to try and get back in. That's when you girls ran into us."

"Did you find anything else in the basement?," Stacie asked.

"We found this," Velma said holding up what they found.

The Bellas gasped.

"That belongs to Aubrey," Chloe said taking the necklace from Velma.

"Who's Aubrey?," Daphne asked.

"My best friend," Chloe said. "And our former Captain."

"We think we know who the robber is," Shaggy said. "Or robbers are."

"Who are they?," Jessica asked.

Stacie had been slowly backing away from the group while everyone was distracted.

"We believe one of them is one of you," Fred said.

"What the hell?," Beca said incredulously. "You can't be serious."

"It's her!," Velma yelled as she saw Stacie turn and run.

Everyone, including Scooby, chased after Stacie.

"Stacie, stop!," Beca yelled.

"Stacie, what are they talking about?," Chloe yelled after her.

Cynthia Rose and Fred were gaining on Stacie. "Damn long legs," Cynthia Rose muttered as she ran.

Cynthia Rose was close so she reached out her hand and grabbed the back of Stacie's shirt. She gave the shirt a yank, causing Stacie to fall to the ground. "Ahhhhh!"

Fred jumped on top of Stacie and held her down. The rest of the group finally caught up to Cynthia Rose and Fred.

Beca was bent over with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. "Why do you" gasp, wheeze, "think it's Stacie?"

"This isn't Stacie," Fred said.

"What?," six voices asked simultaneously.

"This is one of the robbers," Daphne said as she reached down and pulled a mask off of 'Stacie.'

The girls all gasped. "Who's that?," Cynthia Rose asked.

"This is Miranda Bradshaw," Velma said. "Robber, impressionist, and one of the top ten wanted criminals in the United States."

The Bellas all stood with their mouths agape. This fake Stacie had been in their midst, and they didn't even realize it.

"We believe she and her partner are the ones behind all the robberies we'be been investigating," Velma said.

"We would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you-"

"Meddling kids," Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy said together. "Yeah, we know."

The police came and Miranda Bradshaw was arrested. The Scooby gang thanked the Bellas for their help. They were walking toward the Mystery Machine when Chloe stopped them.

"What about the noises in the basement?," Chloe asked. "And the doors closing by themselves? Can you investigate that?"

"I'm sorry," Fred said. "But, we don't think you have anything to worry about. It was most likely the house settling, strong breezes running through the house; you know, things that are natural and easy to explain."

"Oh, um, okay?," Chloe said.

The Scooby gang got into the Mystery Machine, and with a final wave, drove off.

Beca stood with her brows furrowed and a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong, Becs?," Chloe asked.

"If that woman was pretending to be Stacie," Beca said and looked around at the girls. "Where is the real Stacie? And, why was Aubrey's necklace in the basement? She's never been down there as far as I can recall."

The others stood around looking at Beca and each other.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Barden, deep in the woods, two girls wake up tied to chairs with their backs to each other.

"Help!," Stacie yelled. "Somebody, please help us."

"Save your voice, Stace," Aubrey said. "No one can hear us. From what I can tell we are in a log cabin, which means we are probably in the middle of the woods somewhere."

"How did we even get here?," Stacie asked as she pulled at her restraints.

#PPHW1 #pitch perfect fanfiction #bechloe fanfiction #pphw #pitch perfect horror week