Murrell Stone—“Stoner”—shows up, and the boy’s mother, newly steady in her sobriety and Walmart job, declares him a good man. She grooms herself for his visits, gushes over his shaved head and muscles, and even smokes and talks men with her son. Stoner flatters her, but needles the boy as “His Majesty,” signaling a pecking order.

Stoner’s Harley and truck dazzle the boys. When Stoner offers a motorcycle ride, Mrs. Peggot warns the boy he could be hurt and abandoned. Spooked by the image, the boy fakes a stomachache and refuses. Stoner’s “Suit yourself” lands like a threat. Later, the boy does ride—sandwiched between Stoner and his mother—on a joy run.

The first real outing is to Pro’s Pizza. While the mother is away from the table, two of Stoner’s friends slide in: a pale, heavily tattooed man and an Axe-reeking goateed one. They trade crude jokes about the mother and the boy (“Spawn of the Centerfold”), and banter about someone named Bear, Stoner’s “Mr. Cross-to-Bear” pun, and a drilling project. Talk of a “cherry Camaro” and its trailer hints at theft. They help themselves to Stoner’s beer; the boy, confused, senses their contempt.

After school ends, the Peggots invite the boy to Knoxville for two weeks to visit Aunt June. He worries about leaving his mother to her routines, but she surprises him by approving eagerly and turning emotional. At dawn, amid holler shade and bird names, she gives last-minute reminders; he leaves a note to set the alarm. She clings to him at the steps, and the Peggots drive him away as Mrs. Peggot watches with concern.