高频词，一定要记住哦！
改变，变更；
交换，替换；
换衣服（床单）
改变，转变；
交换，互换；
换衣，更衣
变化，改变；
交换，交替；
零钱，找头；
过去分词：
现在分词：
第三人称单数：
大家都在背：
1. These large institutions make — and change—the rules to suit themselves.
这些大机构总是随意制定规定，而且说变就变。
来自柯林斯例句
2. 1998 was an important year for everyone: a time of change.
1998年对所有人来说都是重要的一年：那是个变革的时期。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Eisenhower used his muscle to persuade Congress to change the law.
艾森豪威尔用他的影响力说服国会修改了该项法律。
来自柯林斯例句
4. They have no wish for any change in the status quo.
他们不想改变现状。
来自柯林斯例句
5. South Africa was going through a period of irreversible change.
南非正在经历一场不可逆转的变革。
来自柯林斯例句
change off
1. 交替：与他人交替做同一份工作
2. 轮流：同时做两项任务时交替着做或以交替的方式做一项工作
change address
1. 搬家；迁址
change colour
1. （脸色）变白（或发红）
a change is as good as a rest
1. (谚)改换工作益如休养
change hands
1. 转换：从一位转到另一位所有者
change (one's) mind
1. 改变：推翻先前的观点或以前的决定
change (one's) tune
1. 改变方法或态度
1. “零钱”释义下的同义词
1. “改变;交换;变化;变更”释义下的同义词
其他释义下的同义词
1. “变化,变更”释义下的反义词
其他释义下的反义词
： 指任何变化，完全改变，强调与原先的情况有明显的不同。
： 常指轻微的改变，强调基本上保持原物、原状的情况下所进行的部分改变。
： 暗示不规则或断断续续地变。
： 指进行全部或局部改变以适应新的功能或用途。指信仰或态度时，强调较激烈、大的改变。
： 强调起限定作用的变化或变更。指细小的变化，常含"缓和、降调"的意味。
： 指人或物在形状、外观、形式、性质等方面发生的彻底变化，失去原状成为全新的东西。
： 指外形、颜色、气味、性质等方面的变化，比change更通俗。
变化;改变;变革 If there is a change in something, it becomes different.&
【搭配模式】：usu with supp
The ambassador appealed for a change in US policy...
大使呼吁美国在政策上作出改变。
What is needed is a change of attitude on the part of architects...
现在需要的是建筑师态度的转变。
There are going to have to be some drastic changes...
一定得进行重大变革。
(令人愉快的)变化，改变 If you say that something is a change or makes a change, you mean that it is enjoyable because it is different from what you are used to.&
【语用信息】：approval
It is a complex system, but it certainly makes a change...
这是个复杂的体系，不过确实有所改变。
Do you feel like you could do with a change?
你想不想改变一下？
改用;改做 If you change from one thing to another, you stop using or doing the first one and start using or doing the second.&
【语法信息】：V to n
【语法信息】：V from -ing/n to
His doctor increased the dosage but did not change to a different medication...
他的医生加大了剂量，不过没有换药。
He changed from voting against to abstaining.
他原打算投反对票，后来改为弃权了。
及物/不及物动词
(使)变化;(使)改变 When something changes or when you change it, it becomes different.&
【语法信息】：V
【语法信息】：V from n to n
【语法信息】：V into n
【语法信息】：V n
【语法信息】：V-ed
【语法信息】：V-ing
【语法信息】：Also V n into n
We are trying to detect and understand how the climates change...
我们正努力探寻并理解气候是如何变化的。
In the union office, the mood gradually changed from resignation to rage...
在工会办公室，情绪慢慢从顺从转变成愤怒。
She has now changed into a happy, self-confident woman...
如今她已经变成一个快乐、自信的女人。
更换;替换 To change something means to replace it with something new or different.&
【语法信息】：V n
【搭配模式】：oft a N of n
I paid ?80 to have my car radio fixed and I bet all they did was change a fuse...
我花80英镑让人把我车上的收音机修了修，可我敢肯定，他们只是换了根保险丝。
If you want to change your doctor there are two ways of doing it.
你要是想换个医生，办法有两个。
Change is also a noun.
A change of leadership alone will not be enough.
仅仅更换领导层是不够的。
换(衣服)；更衣 When you change your clothes or change, you take some or all of your clothes off and put on different ones.&
→see usage note at:
【语法信息】：V n
【语法信息】：V
【语法信息】：V into/out of n
【语法信息】：get V-ed
Ben had merely changed his shirt...
本仅仅换了件衬衫。
They had allowed her to shower and change...
他们准许她冲个澡，换套衣裳。
changed into a tracksuit...
我换上一身运动装。
替换衣服；备用衣服 A change of clothes is an extra set of clothes that you take with you when you go to stay somewhere or to take part in an activity.&
【搭配模式】：N of n
He stuffed a bag with a few changes of clothing.
他往包里塞了几套换洗衣服。
换(床单) When you change a bed or change the sheets, you take off the dirty sheets and put on clean ones.&
【语法信息】：V n
After changing the bed, I would fall asleep quickly...
换了床单，我很快就能睡着。
I changed the sheets on your bed today.
我今天把你的床单换了。
给(婴儿)换尿布;换(尿布) When you change a baby or change its nappy or diaper, you take off the dirty one and put on a clean one.&
【语法信息】：V n
【语法信息】：V-ed
She criticizes me for the way I feed or change him...
她批评我不会给他喂奶、不会换尿布。
He needs his nappy changed.
他的尿布该换了。
转乘，换乘(交通工具);转车;转机 When you change buses, trains, or planes or change, you get off one bus, train, or plane and get on to another in order to continue your journey.&
【语法信息】：V n
【语法信息】：V
At Glasgow I changed trains for Greenock...
我在格拉斯哥改乘去格里诺克的火车。
We were turned off the train at Hanover, where we had to change.
我们在汉诺威站被赶下火车，只好在那儿转车。
换(挡) When you change gear or change into another gear, you move the gear lever on a car, bicycle, or other vehicle in order to use a different gear.&
【语法信息】：V n
【语法信息】：V prep
【语域标签】：BRIT 英
The driver tried to change gear, then swerved...
司机试图换挡，接着突然转向。
He looked up into the mirror as he changed through his gears.
他一边换挡，一边抬眼看后视镜。
in AM, use 美国英语用 shift
不可数名词
找零;找头 Your change is the money that you receive when you pay for something with more money than it costs because you do not have exactly the right amount of money.&
'There's your change.' — 'Thanks very much.'...
“您的找头。”——“多谢。”
They told the shopkeeper to keep the change.
他们告诉店主不用找钱了。
不可数名词
硬币 Change is coins, rather than paper money.&
Thieves ransacked the office, taking a sack of loose change...
窃贼洗劫了办公室，拿走了一口袋散币。
The man in the store won't give him change for the phone unless he buys something.
店里的人不肯给他换硬币打电话，除非他买点什么。
不可数名词
零钱 If you have change for larger notes, bills, or coins, you have the same value in smaller notes, bills, or coins, which you can give to someone in exchange.&
【搭配模式】：usu N for n
【语域标签】：AM 美
The courier had change for a ?10 note.
快递员能破开10英镑的纸币。
If you make change, you give someone smaller notes, bills, or coins, in exchange for the same value of larger ones.换零钱;破开钱
兑换(货币);换(零钱) When you change money, you exchange it for the same amount of money in a different currency, or in smaller notes, bills, or coins.&
【语法信息】：V n
【语法信息】：V n into n
You can expect to pay the bank a fee of around 1% to 2% every time you change money...
每次到银行换币都会要求付1%到2%的手续费。
If you travel frequently, find an agency that will change one foreign currency directly into another.
如果经常旅行，找一家能直接兑换外币的旅行社。
换换口味;变个花样 If you say that you are doing something or something is happening for a change, you mean that you do not usually do it or it does not usually happen, and you are happy to be doing it or that it is happening.&
【搭配模式】：PHR with cl
Now let me ask you a question, for a change...
现在换我来问你一个问题吧。
Liz settled back in her seat, comfortably relaxed, enjoying being driven for a change.
莉兹舒服放松地倚在座位上，享受着换别人开车的惬意。
to change for the better→see:
to change hands→see:
a change of heart→see:
to change your mind→see:
to change places→see:
to ring the changes→see:
to change the subject→see:
to change tack→see:
to change your tune→see:
to change for the worse→see:
相关词组：
1. 改变, 改换; 变化
Flyovers have changed the face of the city.
立交桥改变了城市的面貌。
2. 换衣服, 换车
Passengers to Shanghai will change at this station into another train.
到上海的旅客在此站换车。
1. 交换, 更换
2. 兑换(货币)
I wish to change some pocket money.
我希望换些零钱。
Will you change me five ten-pound notes?
你给我换五张十英镑的纸钞好吗?
4. （使）变换，改换，变成
5. 转换；变更
6. 互换；交换
7. 换（床单等）
9. 退换；掉换
10. 换乘；转乘
1. 改变, 变化, 变更
Many old people find it difficult to cope with change.
许多老人难以适应变化。
2. 低值硬币, 零钱
3. 找回的钱
4. （会令人感兴趣或可喜的）变化，变更
5. 替代；更换；替代物
6. 额外一套衣物（等）
7. 辅币；硬币；分币
8. 换车；转车；换机
9. [常用复数]钟乐；钟调；钟声的变调
10. (月亮)转换相位
11. 【生理学】(妇女的)绝经；绝经期，更年期
1. 交换，互换；转换
He wanted to change from Physics to Chemistry.
他想从学物理转学化学。
The conference has changed to October 31st.
会议已改为10月31日举行。
1. an event that occurs when something passes from one state
"the change was intended to increase sales"
"this storm is certainly a change for the worse"
"the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"
2. a relational diffe especially between states before
"he attributed the change to their marriage"
3. the action o
"the change of government had no impact on the economy"
"his change on abortion cost him the election"
4. the result of altera
"there were marked changes in the lining of the lungs"
"there had been no change in the mountains"
5. the balance of money received when the amount you tender is greater
"I paid with a twenty and pocketed the change"
"he inspected several changes before selecting one"
7. a different or
"she brought a change in her overnight bag"
8. coins of small denomination r
"he had a pocketful of change"
9. money received in return for its equivalent in a larger denomination or
"he got change for a twenty and used it to pay the taxi driver"
10. a difference that
"he goes to France for variety"
"it is a refreshing change to meet a woman mechanic"
losing one's or
"She changed completely as she grew older"
"The weather changed last night"
"The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"
"The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
3. make or become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former charac
"her mood changes in accordance with the weather"
"The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season"
4. lay aside, abandon,
"switch to a different brand of beer"
"She switched psychiatrists"
"The car changed lanes"
"Change before you go to the opera"
6. exchange or replace with another, usually of the s
"Could you convert my dollars into pounds?"
"He changed his name"
"convert centimeters into inches"
"convert holdings into shares"
7. give to, and receive from,
"Would you change places with me?"
"We have been exchanging letters for a year"
8. change from one vehicle or transporta
"She changed in Chicago on her way to the East coast"
"His voice began to change when he was 12 years old"
"Her voice deepened when she whispered the password"
10. remove or repl
"Father had to learn how to change the baby"
"After each guest we changed the bed linens"
1.变化，改变
1.加以改变
5.转变政府职能
1.转换开关
2.change-over switch, selector switch
3.转换触点
4.change-over contact
5.转换触头
6.中位触点
7.change-over contact with neutral
字典中回字的解释 ... (8) 还,返回[ return] (11) 改变[ change] (13) 违背[ go against].
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当变化（change）的寒风吹来时，有些人选择低头躲避、包团取暖，而有些人却选择独辟蹊径、创造生机。最近，关于公司裁员、高 …
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四年级下册英语单词_百度文库 ... carrot 胡萝卜六字母 ? ? ? ? ? ? change 零钱；找头 coffee 咖啡.
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　　“更改”（Change），然后在出现的窗口选择“无分页文件”。重启系统即可。
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英语诗歌欣赏 ... Let my heart be 但愿我心如你般 Fresh,changeful,constant, 清新，多变，坚定 Upward like thee! 永远向上！.
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changing facilities on board the boat are limited to the bathrooms ., 船上洗手间为唯一更衣设施.
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各种蔬菜的英语名称一览 - 圈网你我他 ... claret 红葡萄酒 Chang 青稞酒 Martini 马提尼酒.
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the new manager effected several changes in the company ., 新来的经理在公司里促成了好几次改革.
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0){var rand = parseInt(Math.random() * (000)+100000);top.location.href='/'+encodeURIComponent(document.getElementById('s').value.trim().replace( / /g, '_'))+'?renovate='+}else{top.location.href='/'+encodeURIComponent(document.getElementById('s').value.trim().replace( / /g, '_'));};}" action="/">
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09-04-26 &匿名提问 发布
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You’re the first boy I’ve ever kissed,” she said to me.  It was a few days before the new year, and Jamie and I were standing at the Iron Steamer Pier in Pine Knoll Shores. To get there, we’d had to cross the bridge that spans the Intracoastal Waterway and drive a little way down the island.  Nowadays the place has some of the most expensive beachfront property in the entire state, but back then it was mainly sand dunes nestled against the Maritime National Forest. “I figured I might have been,” I said. “Why?” she asked innocently. “Did I do it wrong?” She didn’t look like she’d be too upset if I’d said yes, but it wouldn’t have been the truth.  “You’re a great kisser,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze.  She nodded and turned toward the ocean, her eyes getting that far-off look again. She’d been doing that a lot lately. I let it go on for a while before the silence sort of got to me. “Are you okay, Jamie?” I finally asked. Instead of answering, she changed the subject. “Have you ever been in love?” she asked me. I ran my hand through my hair and gave her one of those looks. “You mean before now?” I said it like James Dean would have, the way Eric had told me to say it if a girl ever asked me that question. Eric was pretty slick with girls.  “I’m serious, Landon,” she said, tossing me a sidelong glance.  I guess Jamie had seen those movies, too. With Jamie, I’d come to realize, I always seemed to be going from high to low and back to high again in less time than it takes to swat a mosquito. I wasn’t quite sure if I liked that part of our relationship yet, though to be honest, it kept me on my toes. I was still feeling off balance as I thought about her question.  “Actually, I have,” I said finally. Her eyes were still fixed on the ocean. I think she thought I was talking about Angela, but looking back, I’d realized that what I’d felt for Angela was totally different from what I was feeling right now. “How did you know it was love?” she asked me. I watched the breeze gently moving her hair, and I knew that it was no time to pretend I was something that I actually wasn’t. “Well,” I said seriously, “you know it’s love when all you want to do is spend time with the other person, and you sort of know that the other person feels the same way.” Jamie thought about my answer before smiling faintly.  “I see,” she said softly. I waited for her to add something else, but she didn’t, and I came to another sudden realization. Jamie may not have been all that experienced with boys, but to tell you the truth, she was playing me like a harp. During the next two days, for instance, she wore her hair in a bun again. On New Year’s Eve I took Jamie out to dinner. It was the very first real date she’d ever been on, and we went to a small waterfront restaurant in Morehead City, a place called Flauvin’s. Flauvin’s was the kind of restaurant with tablecloths and candles and five different pieces of silverware per setting. The waiters wore black and white, like butlers, and when you looked out the giant windows that completely lined the wall, you could watch moonlight reflecting off the slowly moving water. There was a pianist and a singer, too, not every night or even every weekend, but on holidays when they thought the place would be full. I had to make reservations, and the first time I called they said they were filled, but I had my mom call them, and the next thing you knew, something had opened up. I guess the owner needed a favor from my father or something, or maybe he just didn’t want to make him angry, knowing that my grandfather was still alive and all.  It was actually my mom’s idea to take Jamie out someplace special. A couple of days before, on one of those days Jamie was wearing her hair in a bun, I talked to my mom about the things I was going through. “She’s all I think about, Mom,” I confessed. “I mean, I know she likes me, but I don’t know if she feels the same way that I do.” “Does she mean that much to you?” she asked. “Yes,” I said quietly. “Well, what have you tried so far?” “What do you mean?” My mom smiled. “I mean that young girls, even Jamie, like to be made to feel special.” I thought about that for a moment, a little confused. Wasn’t that what I was trying to do? “Well, I’ve been going to her house every day to visit,” I said.  My mom put her hand on my knee. Even though she wasn’t a great homemaker and sometimes stuck it to me, like I said earlier, she really was a sweet lady.  “Going to her house is a nice thing to do, but it’s not the most romantic thing there is. You should do something that will really let her know how you feel about her.” My mom suggested buying some perfume, and though I knew that Jamie would probably be happy to receive it, it didn’t sound right to me. For one thing, since Hegbert didn’t allow her to wear makeup-with the single exception being the Christmas play-I was sure she couldn’t wear perfume. I told my mom as much, and that was when she’d suggested taking her out to dinner.  “I don’t have any money left,” I said to her dejectedly. Though my family was wealthy and gave me an allowance, they never gave me more if I ran through it too quickly. “It builds responsibility,” my father said, explaining it once.  “What happened to your money in the bank?” I sighed, and my mom sat in silence while I explained what I had done. When I finished, a look of quiet satisfaction crossed her face, as if she, too, knew I was finally growing up. “Let me worry about that,” she said softly. “You just find out if she’d like to go and if Reverend Sullivan will allow it. If she can, we’ll find a way to make it happen. I promise.” The following day I went to the church. I knew that Hegbert would be in his office. I hadn’t asked Jamie yet because I figured she would need his permission, and for some reason I wanted to be the one who asked. I guess it had to do with the fact that Hegbert hadn’t exactly been welcoming me with open arms when I visited. Whenever he’d see me coming up the walkway-like Jamie, he had a sixth sense about it-he’d peek out the curtains, then quickly pull his head back behind them, thinking that I hadn’t seen him. When I knocked, it would take a long time for him to answer the door, as if he had to come from the kitchen.  He’d look at me for a long moment, then sigh deeply and shake his head before finally saying hello. His door was partially open, and I saw him sitting behind his desk, spectacles propped on his nose. He was looking over some papers-they looked almost financial-and I figured he was trying to figure out the church budget for the following year. Even ministers had bills to pay. I knocked at the door, and he looked up with interest, as if he expected another member of the congregation, then furrowed his brow when he saw that it was me.  “Hello, Reverend Sullivan,” I said politely. “Do you have a moment?” He looked even more tired than usual, and I assumed he wasn’t feeling well. “Hello, Landon,” he said wearily. I’d dressed sharply for the occasion, by the way, with a jacket and tie. “May I come in?” He nodded slightly, and I entered the office. He motioned for me to sit in the chair across from his desk. “What can I do for you?” he asked. I adjusted myself nervously in the chair. “Well, sir, I wanted to ask you something.” He stared at me, studying me before he finally spoke. “Does it have to do with Jamie?” he asked. I took a deep breath. “Yes, sir. I wanted to ask if it would be all right with you if I took her to dinner on New Year’s Eve.” He sighed. “Is that all?” he said. “Yes, sir,” I said. “I’ll bring her home any time you’d need me to.” He took off his spectacles and wiped them with his handkerchief before putting them back on. I could tell he was taking a moment to think about it.  “Will your parents be joining you?” he asked. “No, sir.” “Then I don’t think that will be possible. But thank you for asking my permission first.” He looked down at the papers, making it clear it was time for me to leave. I stood from my chair and started toward the door. As I was about to go, I faced him again. “Reverend Sullivan?” He looked up, surprised I was still there. “I’m sorry for those things I used to do when I was younger, and I’m sorry that I didn’t always treat Jamie the way she should have been treated. But from now on, things will change. I promise you that.” He seemed to look right through me. It wasn’t enough.  “I love her,” I said finally, and when I said it, his attention focused on me again. “I know you do,” he answered sadly, “but I don’t want to see her hurt.” Even though I must have been imagining it, I thought I saw his eyes begin to water. “I wouldn’t do that to her,” I said. He turned from me and looked out the window, watching as the winter sun tried to force its way through the clouds. It was a gray day, cold and bitter.  “Have her home by ten,” he finally said, as though he knew he’d made the wrong decision. I smiled and wanted to thank him, though I didn’t. I could tell that he wanted to be alone. When I glanced over my shoulder on my way out the door, I was puzzled to see his face in his hands. I asked Jamie an hour later. The first thing she said was that she didn’t think she could go, but I told her that I’d already spoken to her father. She seemed surprised, and I think it had an effect on how she viewed me after that. The one thing I didn’t tell her was that it looked almost as though Hegbert had been crying as I’d made my way out the door. Not only didn’t I understand it completely, I didn’t want her to worry. That night, though, after talking to my mom again, she provided me with a possible explanation, and to be honest, it made perfect sense to me. Hegbert must have come to the realization that his daughter was growing up and that he was slowly losing her to me. In a way, I hoped that was true. I picked her up right on schedule. Though I hadn’t asked her to wear her hair down, she’d done it for me. Silently we drove over the bridge, down the waterfront to the restaurant. When we got to the hostess stand, the owner himself appeared and walked us to our table. It was one of the better ones in the place. It was crowded by the time we arrived, and all around us people were enjoying themselves. On New Year’s people dressed fashionably, and we were the only two teenagers in the place. I didn’t think we looked too out of place, though.  Jamie had never been to Flauvin’s before, and it took her just a few minutes to take it all in. She seemed nervously happy, and I knew right away that my mom had made the right suggestion. “This is wonderful,” she said to me. “Thank you for asking me.” “My pleasure,” I said sincerely. “Have you been here before?” “A few times. My mother and father like to come here sometimes when my father comes home from Washington.” She looked out the window and stared at a boat that was passing by the restaurant, its lights blazing. For a moment she seemed lost in wonder. “It’s beautiful here,” she said. “So are you,” I answered. Jamie blushed. “You don’t mean that.” “Yes,” I said quietly, “I do.” We held hands while we waited for dinner, and Jamie and I talked about some of the things that had happened in the past few months. She laughed when we talked about the homecoming dance, and I finally admitted the reason I’d asked her in the first place. She was a good sport about it-she sort of laughed it off cheerfully-and I knew that she’d already figured it out on her own.  “Would you want to take me again?” she teased. “Absolutely.” Dinner was delicious-we both ordered the sea bass and salads, and when the waiter finally removed our plates, the music started up. We had an hour left before I had to take her home, and I offered her my hand.  At first we were the only ones on the floor, everyone watching us as we glided around the floor. I think they all knew how we were feeling about each other, and it reminded them of when they were young, too. I could see them smiling wistfully at us. The lights were dim, and when the singer began a slow melody, I held her close to me with my eyes closed, wondering if anything in my life had ever been this perfect and knowing at the same time that it hadn’t.  I was in love, and the feeling was even more wonderful than I ever imagined it could be. After New Year’s we spent the next week and a half together, doing the things that young couples did back then, though from time to time she seemed tired and listless. We spent time down by the Neuse River, tossing stones in the water, watching the ripples while we talked, or we went to the beach near Fort Macon.  Even though it was winter, the ocean the color of iron, it was something that both of us enjoyed doing. After an hour or so Jamie would ask me to take her home, and we’d hold hands in the car. Sometimes, it seemed, she would almost nod off before we even got home, while other times she would keep up a stream of chatter all the way back so that I could barely get a word in edgewise.  Of course, spending time with Jamie also meant doing the things she enjoyed as well. Though I wouldn’t go to her Bible study class-I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of her-we did visit the orphanage twice more, and each time we went there, I felt more at home. Once, though, we’d had to leave early, because she was running a slight fever. Even to my untrained eyes, it was clear that her face was flushed. We kissed again, too, though not every time we were together, and I didn’t even think of trying to make it to second base. There wasn’t any need to. There was something nice when I kissed her, something gentle and right, and that was enough for me. The more I did it, the more I realized that Jamie had been misunderstood her entire life, not only by me, but by everyone.  Jamie wasn’t simply the minister’s daughter, someone who read the Bible and did her best to help others. Jamie was also a seventeen-year-old girl with the same hopes and doubts that I had. At least, that’s what I assumed, until she finally told me. I’ll never forget that day because of how quiet she had been, and I had the funny feeling all day long that something important was on her mind.  I was walking her home from Cecil’s Diner on the Saturday before school started up again, a day blustery with a fierce, biting wind. A nor’easter had been blowing in since the previous morning, and while we walked, we’d had to stand close to each other to stay warm. Jamie had her arm looped through mine, and we were walking slowly, even more slowly than usual, and I could tell she wasn’t feeling well again. She hadn’t really wanted to go with me because of the weather, but I’d asked her because of my friends. It was time, I remember thinking, that they finally knew about us. The only problem, as fate would have it, was that no one else was at Cecil’s Diner. As with many coastal communities, things were quiet on the waterfront in the middle of winter. She was quiet as we walked, and I knew that she was thinking of a way to tell me something. I didn’t expect her to start the conversation as she did.  “People think I’m strange, don’t they,” she finally said, breaking the silence. “Who do you mean?” I asked, even though I knew the answer. “People at school.” “No, they don’t,” I lied. I kissed her cheek as I squeezed her arm a little tighter to me. She winced, and I could tell that I’d hurt her somehow. “Are you okay?” I asked, concerned. “I’m fine,” she said, regaining her composure and keeping the subject on track. “Will you do me a favor, though?” “Anything,” I said. “Will you promise to tell me the truth from now on? I mean always?” “Sure,” I said. She stopped me suddenly and looked right at me. “Are you lying to me right now?” “No,” I said defensively, wondering where this was going. “I promise that from now on, I’ll always tell you the truth.” Somehow, when I said it, I knew that I’d come to regret it.  We started walking again. As we moved down the street, I glanced at her hand, which was looped through mine, and I saw a large bruise just below her ring finger. I had no idea where it had come from, since it hadn’t been there the day before. For a second I thought it might have been caused by me, but then I realized that I hadn’t even touched her there. “People think I’m strange, don’t they?” she asked again. My breath was coming out in little puffs. “Yes,” I finally answered. It hurt me to say it. “Why?” She looked almost despondent. I thought about it. “People have different reasons,” I said vaguely, doing my best not to go any further. “But why, exactly? Is it because of my father? Or is it because I try to be nice to people?” I didn’t want anything to do with this. “I suppose,” was all I could say. I felt a little queasy. Jamie seemed disheartened, and we walked a little farther in silence. “Do you think I’m strange, too?” she asked me. The way she said it made me ache more than I thought it would. We were almost at her house before I stopped her and held her close to me. I kissed her, and when we pulled apart, she looked down at the ground. I put my finger beneath her chin, lifting her head up and making her look at me again. “You’re a wonderful person, Jamie. You’re beautiful, you’re kind, you’re gentle . . . you’re everything that I’d like to be. If people don’t like you, or they think you’re strange, then that’s their problem.” In the grayish glow of a cold winter day, I could see her lower lip begin to tremble. Mine was doing the same thing, and I suddenly realized that my heart was speeding up as well. I looked in her eyes, smiling with all the feeling I could muster, knowing that I couldn’t keep the words inside any longer.  “I love you, Jamie,” I said to her. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” It was the first time I’d ever said the words to another person besides a member of my immediate family. When I’d imagined saying it to someone else, I’d somehow thought it would be hard, but it wasn’t. I’d never been more sure of anything.  As soon as I said the words, though, Jamie bowed her head and started to cry, leaning her body into mine. I wrapped my arms around her, wondering what was wrong. She was thin, and I realized for the first time that my arms went all the way around her. She’d lost weight, even in the last week and a half, and I remembered that she’d barely touched her food earlier. She kept crying into my chest for what seemed like a long time. I wasn’t sure what to think, or even if she felt the same way I did. Even so, I didn’t regret the words. The truth is always the truth, and I’d just promised her that I would never lie again.  “Please don’t say that,” she said to me. “Please . . .” “But I do,” I said, thinking she didn’t believe me. She began to cry even harder. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to me through her ragged sobs. “I’m so, so sorry. . . .” My throat suddenly went dry. “Why’re you sorry?” I asked, suddenly desperate to understand what was bothering her. “Is it because of my friends and what they’ll say? I don’t care anymore-I really don’t.” I was reaching for anything, confused and, yes-scared.  It took another long moment for her to stop crying, and in time she looked up at me. She kissed me gently, almost like the breath of a passerby on a city street, then ran her finger over my cheek. “You can’t be in love with me, Landon,” she said through red and swollen eyes. “We can be friends, we can see each other . . . but youcan’t love me.” “Why not?” I shouted hoarsely, not understanding any of this. “Because,” she finally said softly, “I’m very sick, Landon.” The concept was so absolutely foreign that I couldn’t comprehend what she was trying to say. “So what? You’ll take a few days . . .” A sad smile crossed her face, and I knew right then what she was trying to tell me. Her eyes never left mine as she finally said the words that numbed my soul.  “I’m dying, Landon.”
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