If you were Bella's friend

[sarahbells]

I've thought a lot about this problem, it was one of the biggest problems I had with the book altogether. The problem is that friendship is so important to any high schooler, but through my experience in high school I've learned that friendship is a two way street. Bella burnt her own bridges long before Edward left. From her perspective it doesn't sound like she spent a lot of time with them during the summer before her senior year, basically she isolated herself.

I totally agree with this, I really take issue with the fact the from what we see in the books whatever friends Bella had before Edward she seems to have forgotten since Edward came along. Don't get me wrong I love the relationship between Edward and Bella and I think Bella is fab but I agree with Charlie that she needs to be more rounded when it comes to her friends and not spend all her time with the Cullens.

I also dont think that she really ever felt like they were her friends. She never really got to make a friendship with anyone so how could they expect her to go to them for help or comport. She did think that most of them were shallow and fake. I understand what she went through because I moved to a new school my jounior year and I never really felt like i fit in or like I made really good friends. Most of them talked to me or invited me somewhere with their group just for the fact they they felt bad for me, but at the same time they did not invite my into thrie group. That is probally how bella felt. So ofcourse she would not go to them when she lost edward. they were just classmates to her.

[tookthe405]

If I were Bella's friend I would try to help her out and comfort her at first, which I'm sure people like Angela and Mike tried to do, but after a certain point I would probably give up. None of the Forks kids knew much about Edward and Bella's relationship so they probably just thought that Bella was just being overly dramatic.

But if Bella tried to reach out to me I would be nice and take her back as a friend. I wouldn't pull a Jessica

[jaspersfanpire]

Mike was really the only one of her friends who tried to talk with her while she was a zombie. But I think that maybe some of her friends did try to support her in the beginning but they could probably tell that Bella didnt want to talk with them and that she just wanted to be alone.
I most likely would have done what they did-just give Bella her space and some time to get over what happened.

[Leah (SWACM)]

I really think, that Bella's just a very special person. She's more the kind of girl that has a few close but very good friends - Jake or Angela for example. That may be due to the fact that she's just more mature than other girls of her age. And even before Edward came along she wasn't really interested in what the others were doing, so she kind of isolated herself from the very beginning.

And just imagine the burden of her secret! It just widenes the gap between her and her school mates.

When Edward left her, she stopped holding on the few friendships she had, because there was no point - for her, there was no life anymore.
And even when she woke up from her whatever-you-may-call-it-zombie-phase, she just didn't care.

So I guess it dosen't matter how they reacted or how they should have reacted.

[jinnyteamedward]

i think her friends could have treated her nicer because obviously she was in pain and now that edward's back, she's (obviously) okay again duh!!

[Crusader For Literature]

i think her friends could have treated her nicer because obviously she was in pain and now that edward's back, she's (obviously) okay again duh!!

No, Bella was just thoughtless and thought herself superior to all the 'shallow' people. Only the Cullens were good enough to be her friends. She used her friends as tools - for example, going out with Jessica to calm down her father. Not because she actually liked Jessica or cared about her or really wanted to spend any time with her. And I thought Jessica seemed quite nice. Bella was just elitist and didn't deserve friends she didn't make an effort making. She placed all her chips on Edward, and that was her decision. So when Edward left, she was bankrupt and it was entirely her fault and responsibility.

[ibelievealice]

When you consider yourself someone's friends, it comes with a few unwritten rules. (I know that some of the people in Forks considered Bella their friend: Jessica, Mike, Angela.) Us girls all know these rules, like: Don't date your friends ex, Always tell one another if there is dirt on your nose, food on your teeth, ect, ect.. Anyway, If a friend breaks up with her boyfriend and she is crushed, YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. You intervene however you have to, in whatever way you need to.
I know she wasn't extremely close to them, but they used her just as much as she used them. When she came all the boys liked her and some girls wanted to hang with her to be part of the attention. But it seemed like they started liking each other a bit, and she did do somethings with them. When girls get boyfriends and the other way around, you notice they spend less time with the group and more time with the boy/girl. It's just a part of life, it doesn't mean they magically stop being your friend. ITS A PART OF LIFE! So is heartbreak, and I would never, ever abandon my friend. Even if she acted like a zombie for 4 months, then I would have worked for 4 months trying to find a way to help.
After saying all that, I will say this; If her friends actually acted like friends then she may have never had the relationship she did with Jacob. Then the story would not be what it is without that, so I will excuse her "friends" because that's just the way it was supposed to be!!

[Crusader For Literature]

When you consider yourself someone's friends, it comes with a few unwritten rules. (I know that some of the people in Forks considered Bella their friend: Jessica, Mike, Angela.) Us girls all know these rules, like: Don't date your friends ex, Always tell one another if there is dirt on your nose, food on your teeth, ect, ect.. Anyway, If a friend breaks up with her boyfriend and she is crushed, YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. You intervene however you have to, in whatever way you need to.
I know she wasn't extremely close to them, but they used her just as much as she used them. When she came all the boys liked her and some girls wanted to hang with her to be part of the attention. But it seemed like they started liking each other a bit, and she did do somethings with them. When girls get boyfriends and the other way around, you notice they spend less time with the group and more time with the boy/girl. It's just a part of life, it doesn't mean they magically stop being your friend. ITS A PART OF LIFE! So is heartbreak, and I would never, ever abandon my friend. Even if she acted like a zombie for 4 months, then I would have worked for 4 months trying to find a way to help.
After saying all that, I will say this; If her friends actually acted like friends then she may have never had the relationship she did with Jacob. Then the story would not be what it is without that, so I will excuse her "friends" because that's just the way it was supposed to be!!

Their treatment of her would be reproachable if they were actually her friends and she were actually theirs. If so, firstly she wouldn't have gone zombie, and secondly, they wouldn't have abandoned her. But she literally didn't consider them friends, so their behavior was perfectly understandable and acceptable. She didn't care much about them before edward and not at all after. She didn't consider them friends, only tools to be manipulated if necessary.

Seriously, I think this whole idea sprung from desire to see Bella as this poor victimized soul who had no meaning in her life besides vampires. She wasn't. Not having friends when zombified was her problem and her fault.

[Spazzzy]

I would have tried to help her through her zombie state. And when she came out of it I would be happy to bring her back into my life. Something like that happened to me and one of my friends. After her parents got divorced, she became unresponsive. I tried to help her and nothing seemed to help. She was like that for about 3 months. I will never know what happened but she somehow got better. I saw that none of her other old friends were taking to her that much, I took her in. We became much better friends then we were before actually. I don't know how Bella's friends could be so mean and not talk to her.

[leahfellinlovwithtwilight]

they should have been at least a little more supportive.
i mean, they didnt know the whole story, but they knew
that edward had left her *tear* and that she really did
love him. they also should have known that long term
relationships suddenly breaking off could have been
painful.they didnt have to shun her, and if she stopped
calling them, they might have realized she was going through
some major pain.