In Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons, what emotions does Ben evoke when he asks Sal why she flinches whenever she is touched?

When Ben touches Sal, she feels tingles and reflexively jerks away. He tests her a few times, and each time she pulls away without thinking anything about it. Ben makes fun of her for this, but Sal worries about it. She talks about it to her father, fearing she is pulling away from other people and wonders what it means. Her father hugs her, and she does not pull away because she associates her father with love and safety. She thinks about the Winterbottoms, whom she cannot imagine hug each other. Sal worries she might become like them. When her mother left and did not return, Sal began to withdraw from people. She fears this is permanent. It is a return to normal when she does not flinch when Ben touches her. She is finding her way back to being part of the human race.