Demon opens by questioning where ruin begins, then recounts a late-October home game against Powell Valley. While leading by six on a sweep, a defender levels him low from the side. He tries to rise, but his knee is bent the wrong way. Pain floods in as he’s removed, the team eventually losing.

At home, Coach and Angus help him downstairs. Through a night of swelling, nightmares, and drowning pain, team doctor Watts arrives, citing ACL/meniscus concerns and orders imaging. He prescribes Lortab, which brings relief and sleep, and tells Demon to keep the medication steady around the clock.

Days blur as Demon skips school and a game, living on pills and Gatorade. Rumors fly at school; Angus visits, tries to buoy him, and prods his fear of being disposable. Demon admits he believes Coach kept him because of his football talent. Angus asserts Coach won’t abandon him and jokes about homecoming, but Demon clings to football as his identity.

June arrives in her white coat, examines the knee, and criticizes the initial X-ray and lax follow-up. She warns Demon he’s likely out for the season and argues with Coach about narcotics, calling hydrocodone dangerous and the pain epidemic real. She urges caution and future-minded care; Demon, defensive and hurt, rejects her message.

At an early orthopedic consult, the surgeon suspects ACL/meniscus damage, recommends stabilization, PT, and surgery pending MRI, and renews pain meds. Coach does not press for a return date. At the pharmacy, Demon picks up OxyContin; a jarring encounter with a blind man and his guide dog leaves him shaken, as he senses his grip—and his football future—slipping.