Chapter 11

Landon and Jamie begin to date, and Jamie tells Landon that he’s the first boy she has ever kissed. On New Year’s Eve, they go on their first real date at a fancy restaurant. Landon asks Hegbert for his permission. Hegbert initially refuses but agrees when Landon tells him that he truly loves Jamie. Landon notices that Hegbert cries as Landon leaves with Jamie. He also notices that Jamie appears more fatigued than before.

Jamie and Landon spend the rest of Christmas break seeing one another. Jamie spends time with Landon on his usual hangouts: the river, the beach, and Cecil’s Diner. Landon, on the other hand, visits the orphanage with Jamie. Toward the end of their break, Landon notices a bruise on Jamie’s finger. He also notices that she has lost weight. Finally, Landon tells Jamie that he loves her and she begins to cry. She finally tells the secret to Landon: she’s going to die.

In this chapter, Landon and Jamie begin to date and Landon finally admits his love for Jamie. Landon also receives Hegbert’s permission to take Jamie on a date. The two begin to spend more time with each other, trying to be respectful of the different worlds they belong to. So far, hints have been dropped about Jamie’s health condition, and, in this chapter, Sparks reveals the truth.

There is another important scene in the chapter where Jamie asks Landon to tell her about how others in the school perceive here. She asks Landon to be honest. Therefore, Landon tells her that the others indeed find her strange. This scene reveals that, like most teenagers, Jamie is also concerned about what others think of her.