Summary Part Two Chapters 26 - 46: This part of the book begins as Demon is entering his 12th year and middle school and ends when he is in 10th grade and becomes enraptured with his girlfriend Dori.  He experiences a "golden time" of stability but becomes ensnared in the opioid epidemic and suffers tremendous repercussions.  "Where does the road to ruin start? That's the point of getting all this down, I'm told.  To get the handle on some choice you  made.  Or was it made for you " (p.332).  

Chapter Summaries:

Chapter 26- Grandmother & Mr. Dick -  At first Demon's grandmother thought he was her son brought back from the dead, the resemblance is so great.   She tells him some things about his dad, that "church was his trouble"  and he loved cars.    Demon tells her his story trying to make his mother sound like she was not totally at fault for his misery.  She makes it clear she doesn't like boys or men but relies on Mr. Dick for advice.  He advises that they clean him up before deciding anything else.  

Chapter 27- A Plan for Demon – Betsy saved Dick (spinal deformity) from the home he was banished to by their father after the rest of their family died.  Mr Dick fills in some details about Betsy.  She started taking in needy girls after her son ran off and educates them including giving them advice about staying away from “no-good” boys.  After reading a book, Mr Dick likes to write passages from the books on kites and fly them. He writes a special message for Demon right before he leaves. After two weeks Betsy decides to send Demon to live with the husband of a girl she helped raise. The woman has died but her husband is a teacher and lives in Lee County. Demon thanks the Lord when he finds out the man is the coach of the Lee High Generals.  One of her girls drives him to meet the coach and it takes them under two hours.   

Chapter 28 – Coach’s Winfield's House – Demon meets creepy Ryan “U-Haul” Pyles who coach sends to pick up Demon.  U-haul claims he is coach's assistant.   At the house Demon meets Angus, Coach’s daughter but initially mistakes her for a boy.  Angus says her father is sizing him up for the team.  

Chapter 29 - Fitting In - Demon goes to middle school in Jonesville in Lee County.  He feels a like an imposter in his new comfortable living situation given all he's been through.  He tries to fit in.  He goes shopping with Angus and has a hard time choosing new clothes.  They discuss creepy U-haul, who Angus says is a liar as he is not really coach's assistant but just someone who does errands and scut work.  Demon recognizes that Angus runs the household as coach is rarely ever there. 

Chapter 30 - Mr Armstrong - Demon welcomes the status that comes with living with coach and gets to help out at practice but still feels like he doesn't entirely fit in.  He is quickly demoted to the "dummy class" given his lack of formal education. However that doesn't last long because he is embraced by his  guidance counselor, Mr. Armstrong.  He tells Demon that he is resilient and wants to see his drawings.  He tests him and tells him he is gifted. He offers academic support so Demon can pursue art in high school.  This confuses Demon and he wonders how his identity will change.  Angus is two grades ahead and gifted too,  so he feels an even greater connection to her.  

Chapter 31 - Reunion with the Peggots - Demon goes to dinner with the Peggots who were concerned about him and sought him out.  Mrs Peggot tells him the story of Betsy and Mr. Dick coming to see Demon's mother. He learns that his father sent Betsy a letter before he died wanting to reconcile.  He thinks his mother probably felt threatened and made Mrs Peggot pledge not to reveal the story.  Demon wishes he'd known all along but doesn't say anything.  Maggot is now wearing make-up and dressing very goth.  He visits June in her new home and reconnects with Emmy who despises June's boyfriend Kent - who sells pain pharmaceuticals.  Kent calls them "miracle pain pill" and is giving out coupons.  Emmy also has a boy who is interested in her named Hammer.  

Chapter 32 - Christmas - Demon and Angus have two different ideas about how to celebrate Christmas.  Coach doesn't like to celebrate because the holiday surrounds his wife's death, so Angus usually takes charge and plans a day with no surprises.  Demon loves the idea of getting presents you don't expect and convinces Angus to switch things up.  They steal a tree from Creaky's place and create their own Christmas celebration complete with presents they get for each other.  Angus gives Demon a ship in a bottle, which she believes captures his love of the ocean and his ability to beat the odds and go "wherever the hell" he wants to go  (p. 249).  Demon draws a bad-ass portrait of Angus, which she loves.  Coach tells Demon he is hard worker and wants to train him to be a tight end.  

Chapter 33 - Golden times - Demon feels born again and free of his traumatic past when he is in in 7th and 8th grade.  U-haul spends time in coach's office after coach goes to bed and taunts Demon.  He connects with Mr Armstrong's wife,  Ms. Annie, an art teacher, and she mentors him.  Betsy and Mr Dick visit to check up on Demon.  Betsy warns coach not to let sports interfere with his education.  Demon starts JV football camp.  

Chapter 34 - Melungeon Ancestry - Demon enjoys the popularity that comes with football and starts to enjoy school, espesically the civil rights lessons taught by Mr Armstrong who is one of the few Black teachers at his school.   He starts to understand his Melungeon legacy - "all the colors plus Cherokee and also Portuguese..." He helps coach to bed when he is too drunk to go up the stairs.  He almost makes it to the ocean. 

Chapter 35 - World of Pain -  Demon blossoms under Ms. Annie's tutelage and tender care.  Mr. Armstrong's Background's project reveals the impact of coal mining on the students' families and the current lack of paying work in the community.  "Everything that could be taken is gone.  Mountains left with their heads blown off, rivers running black.  My people are dead of trying, or headed that way, addicted as we are to keeping ourselves alive.  There's no more blood here to give, just war wounds. Madness. A world of pain, looking to be killed" (p.280). 

Chapter 36 - 2001 - "Two thousand and one was the year I had everything and still went hungry" (p. 281).  At Lee High Demon reunites with Maggot and Emmy but all are pursuing different paths: Demon a jock, Maggot goth, Emmy drama, and Angus academics.  Demon attracts girls and visits the Peggots more frequently.  

Chapter 37 - Visits- U-Hauls menaces Demon sometimes bringing him to see his mother and their cluttered house.  He visits June and Emmy.  June regards Kent as a con man pedaling dangerous drugs.  Angus gets her license and they drive down to visit Betsy and Mr Dick.  There is tension between them as Angus is planning her future away from Lee County.  

Chapter 38 - Summer Job at 15 - Demon gets a job at the Farm Supply and wants to save up for a car.  Fast Forward is a customer, and Demon once again craves his attention.   He claims to own his own place and brings news that Creaky's place "ran itself into the ground".   He goes cruising with Fast Forward and meets his crew, his former defender on the OL Big Bear Howe and a girl, Rose Dartell who Demon describes as "not in Fast Forward's league".  Demon smokes pot while "Draggin Main".  

Chapter 39 - 4th of July at June & Emmy's - Demon brings Fast Forward to the 4th of July party thinking he could help Maggot fit in better.  Fast Forward brings along Rose and a tiny girl named Mouse.  Maggot takes Adderall and "smufing Sudafed".  Maggot leaves Demon to find his friend Martha.  Demon follows Mouse and Fast Forward to a wrecked cabin nearby where he sees them dealing out black disks.  He goes back later and sees needles and kids passed out.  Demon wants Fast Forward to like June and Emmy and the Peggots.  June is suspicious of Fast Forward.  Mouse makes fun of people at the party and Fast Forward acts like no one at the party is worth his time.  

Chapter 40 - Dori - Demon meets Vestor Spencer, the store owner and his daughter Dori.  He falls in love at first sight, and she becomes his obsession.  Demon and Angus bicker about his love for her.  Demon is flying high with the popularity in 10th grade that comes with a successful football experience and his nights with Fast Forward and their gang's regular  Pharm Parties at the drive-in.  One night he sees Dori weaving between the cars and starts to woo her.  He also reconnects with Tommy Waddles after not seeing him for five years. Tommy is 18 now and living in an apartment trying to make ends meet by working at a newspaper.  Rose is also there and tells him that Fast Forward is a liar and doesn't own anything; he just lives in a barn and takes care of someone else's farm.  She also tells him that Sterling aka Fast Forward was her adopted brother until her parents gave him up when he was 9 because he was such a controlling menace to their other kids.  In fact he was responsible for the facial scar that marked her face by throwing a claw hammer at her face.   Demon becomes more intoxicated as he tries to process this disturbing  information about his mentor and friend.  He passes out at home,  and Angus saves him from punishment but warns him he is "fucking up here".  

Chapter 41 - Friday Night Lights - Demon injures his knee during a game and pain pills bring blessed relief.  He worries that without football he will lose everything.  June visits and challenges coach's decision to give Demon oxy and the diagnosis.  All Demon wants to play next week and tells coach he doesn't want surgery.  

Chapter 42 - First Times With Dori- Demon continues to take oxy and gets to play more football a month later, although due to his injury and hazy brain he doesn't play well.   Dori visits and they go to Homecoming.  Afterwards in the car she introduces him to shooting up Fentanyl patches taken from her sick father's stash of meds.  They have sex for the first time in the backseat of her father's car but Demon doesn't remember most of the it.  "But Dori was my girl, so.  Nothing could hurt me now" (p.353) 

Chapter 43 - Mr Peg - June picks up Demon and takes him to see Mr Peg who is bedridden.  She pesters him about getting his knee fixed and wants to know if he is off the oxy.  June tells him that Emmy is rebelling and that Maggot is staying with her for awhile.  Mr Peg passes away that night.  Maggot is broken up that he never got a chance to say goodbye because his last conversation with Mr Peg had been in anger.  Demon admits that Mr, Peg was the best part of their lives.  Demon takes Dori to the funeral.  Emmy is AWOL until midway through the wake at the funeral home.  While outside with Maggot smoking pot, Demon is shocked to see Emmy and Rose Dartell get into a catfight.  They both disappear.  Demon learns that Emmy broke up with Hammer because Emmy was now with Fast Forward.  

Chapter 44 - Life With Dori- Coach tells Demon to get of the meds and stay off the knee so he can practice in the fall.  Demon tries but the withdrawals are terrible.  His salvation is Dori.  They look after her dad and spend a lot of time together taking drugs and having sex.  He tries to evade both coach and Angus because of his obsession with Dori.  He runs into Tommy at the pharmacy and is surprised to learn that Tommy is renting out the McCobb's garage.  

Chapter 45 - Lure of the Ocean - Demon struggles with school but enjoys a few books - Dickens gets a mention.  Angus dares him to go the ocean he's been dreaming about for so long,  but he can't get anyone to go with him.  Finally he asks Fast Forward, and Emmy convinces him to go.  Maggot joins in the trip to Virginia Beach.  The first night at a campsite Emmy tells him June feels threatened because she cuts people off from their meds.  Emmy tells Demon that she took Martha to Knoxville to get an abortion and that she is a terrible person.  She broke up with Hammer because he was too good for her.  She also tells him Maggot is into Meth and June is really worried about him.  They never make it to the ocean.