Twilight Pay It Forward

After you finished reading Twilight did you not immediately make a mental list of people you wanted to pass the book to? I had one with four of my friends who I knew wouldn't pick something up like this by themselves, and of the four, none were takers! The reasons ranged from Stephenie's "amateur" writing style to Bella's "whininess" to the "five-hundred pages where nothing happens."

Anyway, the whole point of wanting to get other people you know to read these books is so that you can have someone to talk to about them. Very much a self-serving purpose when I think about it.

Over the summer I was having frozen yogurt with BFF and one of our mutual friends we've known since 5th grade. We were catching up on what we've been up to before inevitably getting to the "the good stuff"--she wants to know if BFF and I are seeing anyone. BFF is, her story much like the stereotypical movie character of any early twenty-something who graduates college and moves into the city with her musician boyfriend and his cat. I, on the other hand, have no updates in this department and it's not a surprise to anyone at the table.

"You've always been so picky," she says to me, "What are you looking for?" I feign an exasperated sigh as we get into this, and BFF smirks (she was a non-taker, by the way) and says on my behalf, "Edward."


"Who's Edward?" our friend's eyes light up for a second thinking there's some gossip ahead. "Nothing," I say and BFF says, "He's a vampire from Twilight." They both laugh and our friend comments, "Oh yeah? I saw the movie, it was pretty good. I haven't read the books, though. I heard they're good too."

I don't know why it took so long for me to pass her my books, but she just finished reading them with, from what I understand, the same voracity as I had. One of the best qualities of my friend in particular is that I've always loved how she's so open-minded and vocal about things. She texted me as soon as she'd finished Twilight asking me to borrow the second book. I suggested when she finish reading all of them that we have a marathon of the two movies which she was more than on board for.

I couldn't believe that while watching Twilight for the umpteenth time on Friday with her that I discovered something new. Was I the only one that never noticed Victoria in the background here?


Watching Twilight with her was beyond fun. She did see Twilight before reading the books (um, she tells me too that she went to the theater with a GUY who liked it!), but she realizes now there was so much stuff she did NOT get the first time around. Every time a scene would come up that exemplified that, she'd turn to me and say, "Yeah! When I saw this part I was like, 'What the HECK is going on?'"

Some of these parts included:

Edward's hand covering his mouth when Bella walks into the bio lab.


Bella asking Edward, "Hey, did you get contacts?"


Edward revealing why he doesn't go out in the sunlight. ("I didn't get it, I was like, 'why is he so sweaty?'")


Edward telling Bella he's dangerous. ("Why is he yelling? I don't remember him being so angry in the book.")


When we watched New Moon (this she hadn't seen), she had plenty of things to say about Jacob's transformation. In particular, "Whoa, he has a really nice back" when he turns to run off after he breaks up with Bella.


(Completely gratuitous shot of Taylor for those of you who are into this kind of thing.)

She also couldn't stop giggling over how Mike looked even less appealing than he did in Twilight and didn't understand why Jessica would like him. ("What happened to Mike?? He is not looking too good.")


During the very last scene, about ten seconds before it ends and before Edward asks Bella to marry him, she suddenly remembers the end in the book and says to me, "Wait, it's not going to end soon is it?"


I just look at her and she wails, "Nooooooooo! How can they end it like thissssssss?!" when she gets her answer. "When is the next one coming out??" I tell her this June and she says, "Really!?!"

And I now have a new person to go join me midnight Eclipse ;)