Demon returns to football convinced he is taking painkillers legitimately and promises Coach Winfield he will follow doctor’s orders. Coach eases Demon back in for key plays, and the town’s admiration swells, but Demon plays dulled and slow from the drugs. Trying to cut back triggers harsh withdrawal symptoms, including vomiting, chills, and diarrhea, so Demon resumes taking the pills strictly “on the clock” to avoid falling apart, especially with homecoming approaching.

With homecoming king expected to bring a queen, girls leave food, photos, and notes in Demon’s easily accessed locker. Turp Trussell fixates on the attention and pushes Demon to open a mysterious “gift,” which turns out to be Vicki Strout’s thong; Turp humiliates Demon and Vicki by making a spectacle of it. Demon feels guilty but also realizes he wants only Dori Spencer and avoids asking anyone else out, partly out of fear of rejection.

Dori unexpectedly comes to Demon at Coach Winfield’s house, examines Demon’s pill bottles, and gives Demon a live baby chick in a Tampax box—surviving after Dori’s dog Jip killed the rest. Demon, overwhelmed and devoted, decides Dori is “the one.” Dori begins visiting daily, confiding that her father is gravely ill; after a heart attack, doctors found cancer spreading through his lungs and bones, and she is lonely and frightened. Demon spends money on a special orchid corsage and a new jacket, while Dori points out Demon could make cash selling pills, though Demon refuses to part with them.

On homecoming night, Demon takes all his prescribed pills to keep himself steady and feels detached as the game unfolds. Dori arrives dressed for the occasion, and Demon crowns the night by walking homecoming court with her despite drama over her not being a student. During halftime, Dori teases a “surprise” later, saying she has been saving something for her first time; Demon is intensely excited and expects sex as the main event of the night.

After the dance, Demon and Dori leave in her father’s Impala and stop at her house, where Demon is charged by Jip and waits in the car. The night grows hazy from pills and alcohol as they park on a remote gravel road. Dori reveals her “present” is not a condom but a fentanyl painkiller patch, and she demonstrates how to scrape and prepare it with a spoon, lighter, cotton, and syringe; Demon admits he fears needles, so Dori places gel from the patch under Demon’s tongue and injects herself. They pass out together and have sex in the back seat, but Demon remembers it in fragments; despite the blur, Demon believes nothing can hurt him now because Dori is his girl.