Demon opens by naming a lifelong restlessness that feels like a disease of wanting, a drive toward danger, recognition, and love that he cannot quiet. He frames his story as an effort to understand that craving.

In fall 2001 he is a Lee High General, a freshman standout receiver transforming a run-first team with unexpected pass plays that electrify crowds. The physical grind and on‑field execution feel transcendent. Coach Winfield becomes a demanding, national-pride mentor and near-father figure despite his drinking and losses, convinced Demon can carry Lee County.

Academically, Mr. Armstrong keeps Demon on the classroom track despite the lure of Career and Tech. Ms. Annie grants him special permission to take art all four years, guiding him through fundamentals and media. After September 11, recruiters flood the hallway, but Demon does not see that war as his fight; football and art feel like his path.

Socially, Demon reenters a school filled with familiar faces, but he remains sexually inexperienced. Then Linda Larkins, May Ann’s older sister, initiates explicit phone-sex calls that continue all year, secretly shaping his nights and skewing normal dating. Angus, ever opinionated, knows nothing about it.

The Peggots begin hosting him for Sunday dinners again. A visit to his old trailer home stirs grief. At dinner, aging Mrs. Peggot and a frailer Mr. Peg struggle with Maggot’s goth look, truancy, and risky behavior. The house’s warmth contrasts with unease about Maggot’s direction.

Outside by the truck, Mr. Peg confides that they can no longer handle Maggot and wonders if they spoiled him. Demon suggests TV and visible inequality fuel young people’s restlessness more than indulgence. He reassures Mr. Peg but doubts linger. Thinking of someone who names people’s truths, Demon recalls Fast Forward as a potential lifeline for Maggot, while recognizing his own hunger remains unresolved.