Chapters 25–30 Summary
Chapter 25
Demon rides with a trucker, but he falls asleep and misses his destination. The trucker lets him off at an exit, where he is approached by a “dirty Jesus” couple who ask him if he’s been saved; he hides in the bathroom. Demon then waits for another ride and eats his remaining food. He makes a sign that says “Unicoi,” the county he is trying to reach, which attracts a young woman who thinks it says unicorn. Once he realizes the misunderstanding, Demon knows he has to get out. After spending the night behind a dumpster, he is picked up by another preacher who asks about his ”burden.” He drops Demon off with directions to head down the road to Murder Valley.
Demon walks so long that his shoes fall apart. He sleeps in a barn and continues his journey the next day; he isn’t able to find his father’s grave. He asks people if they know Betsy Woodall, his father’s mother. A few men joke around with him before realizing they actually know the woman. They give Demon a poor impression of his grandmother but point him toward her house. When he arrives, he sees a tall older woman working in the yard. After she tries to chase him away, Demon introduces himself as her grandson.
Chapter 26
Demon goes into the house with his grandmother, Betsy, and she starts asking him about his mother and marveling at how much he looks like her son. She has taken in a number of young women, but she “had no use” for boys. His grandmother tells Demon that his father, also named Damon, got too invested in certain Old Testament teachings, like polygamy. Demon tells her that his mother was not a churchgoer. When Betsy hears about Demon’s mother’s fate, she expresses sympathy, but Demon is still angry with her.
Betsy brings out her brother Dick, who is in a wheelchair and suffers from disabilities that limit his movement. She introduces the two of them, and Dick observes that Demon needs new shoes. Demon gets to take a long bath, overcoming his fear of bathtubs in an effort to finally get clean after his ordeal. After his bath, Demon meets Jane Ellen, one of the girls Betsy took in. At dinner, Betsy inquires why Demon’s mom married Stoner, and he can only guess that she was lonely. Demon gets to sleep in a large bed, in a room with some fresh clothes, and his grandmother locks him in his room, leaving him to wonder whether she will let him stay, being that he is a boy.
Chapter 27
Betsy refuses to raise a boy but also hates the DSS and won’t have a relative of hers in their questionable care. The only man in the house is Dick, whom Besty idolizes. He was severely bullied as a child, but Betsy gave him books after their father put him in a care home. Demon goes to his room to visit while Dick is reading and notices how immersed the man is in his book. They talk about Demon’s dad, whom Dick remembers as a teenager; he says Damon left the house as a result of his religious father. After Damon left, Betsy started raising and educating young girls.
In his two weeks at Betsy’s house, Demon spends time with Jane Ellen and Dick. He learns about Dick’s habit of writing his favorite quotes from a book onto a kite; when the kite is full and he has finished the book, he flies the kites as a way of “returning the...
(This entire section contains 1323 words.)
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blessing.” Eventually, Betsy knows she must find a place for Demon so he can return to school. She asks Demon where he wants to go, but he can only think of people he wants to avoid. Betsy considers the girls she’s educated and who might be able to take Demon in. He wants to be close to Lee County, and Betsy remembers that the husband of a young woman she raised lives near there, in Jonesville; the woman herself had passed away. The man’s name is Winfield, and Demon recognizes him as the football coach at Lee High. Before he leaves, he helps Dick fly his latest kite, upon which he has added a special quote for Demon.
Chapter 28
Jane Ellen drives Demon to meet Winfield, but his assistant arrives instead. Ryan Pyles, or U-Haul, is basically Coach Winfield’s errand boy, and picking up Demon is his latest task. Winfield’s house is “a mansion,” but Demon is surprised by how messy it is when they enter. Winfield’s kid comes down the stairs, and Demon thinks he is a boy, noticing how skinny and strangely dressed he is. Demon imagines the boy’s sadness is a result of their mom’s death. The kid’s name is Angus, and Demon is initially surprised to hear that he is not on the JV football team. Coach comes home and meets Demon, and he sizes him up as a potential linebacker.
They eat dinner, and Demon meets Mattie Kate, who is their housekeeper. Coach tries to make conversation over dinner, and Demon asks about football. Angus brings Demon up to his room, which impresses Demon, as does the rest of the house. Later, after they’ve changed and gotten ready for bed, Demon realizes that Angus is a girl and he feels stupid for his mistake.
Chapter 29
Demon wonders how he deserves his perfect situation, thinking of how his mom would have loved to see the house. When he starts school at Jonesville Middle, he immediately notices how innocent the students seem. They do, however, know more about school subjects than Demon, who is behind. Coach gives Angus the credit card to take Demon shopping for clothes and supplies. Demon is very hesitant about asking for specific items because he doesn’t have his own money. He is also shocked by Mattie Kate’s help around the house, since he is used to doing his own dishes and laundry. Angus tells Demon what to expect at school, and they spend time watching TV in the den. Demon has to obey some new rules, like doing his homework and not going out on school nights. He doesn’t let himself think that he’ll be staying with the Winfields long.
Chapter 30
At school, Demon feels like a new version of himself with his new clothes and shoes. Demon starts helping Coach out at practice doing various errands on Saturdays. They even throw the ball around sometimes, and even though Demon isn’t very talented, he wants to work hard, inspired by Coach. Mr. Armstrong, an English teacher and school counselor, checks in on Demon and tries to help him adjust his mindset. Eventually, Mr. Armstrong learns that Demon likes to draw and asks the boy to bring some drawings at the end of each week. Demon has a hard time adjusting to his identification as Gifted and Talented, wondering if he could still play football with such a designation. He goes to math tutoring and tries to catch up in classes. Some of his peers learn about his drawing skills and pay him to draw pictures of nude women based on images in Playboy.
Demon considers Angus his best friend since Maggot, even though he couldn't imagine being friends with a girl. Angus, though, is not a typical girl. She also admits that she, too, is Gifted and Talented, which Demon can believe, because she is very sharp and analytical. Coach mostly focuses on football and his playbook, so Angus and Demon spend most of their time together. He learns that her real name is Agnes, but kids teased her by calling her Angus. She said she liked it better and claimed it as her own.
