How It All Goes Down
Cheater
- At work, Bella overhears two hikers talk about seeing a creature in the woods that was "Big as a house and pitch-black" (5.7).
- Bella wakes up screaming from a recurring nightmare: She stumbles through the forest, searching for something until she realizes that there is nothing to search for, "…And there never would be anything more for me… nothing but nothing" (5.17).
- She fears that the hole in her heart will never get better. That the damage is permanent.
- She also realizes that, when Edward promised he’d disappear "as if he’d never existed" (3.191) he made a promise he couldn’t keep, because she’ll never be able to forget him. So why should she keep her promise to stay safe then?
- Bella decides to get into trouble. At a neighbor’s house, Bella spots two dilapidated motorcycles in the front yard. Perfect! She knows that Charlie and, more importantly, Edward would strictly forbid her to ride a motorcycle.
- Bella thinks to herself, "I wanted to be stupid and reckless, and I wanted to break promises" (5.42).
- In search of a mechanic to fix the bikes, Bella remembers Jacob Black, the nice kid from the La Push Indian Reservation, who unknowingly revealed to her Edward’s true identity when telling her about his tribe’s ancient legends.
- Down in La Push, Bella is surprised to find that Jacob has grown into a handsome young man.
- She finds his smile and enthusiasm are contagious and says, "I’d forgotten how much I really liked Jacob Black" (5.84).
- It’s obvious to Bella that Jacob still has a crush on her:
I needed to reign in the enthusiasm before I gave him the wrong idea – it was just that it had been a long time since I’d felt so light and buoyant. (5.135) - Jacob agrees to help Bella fix the bikes and to teach her how to ride. In exchange, Bella offers to pay for the repair and gives one of the bikes to Jacob. Jacob promises to keep the bikes a secret from Charlie and his father Billy.