Back Side by Side
Chapters (50)
  1. Cover Page
  2. Half Title Page
  3. SIDE by SIDE
  4. Dedication Page
  5. Epigraph
  6. Part I: Fall
  7. 1.
  8. 2.
  9. 3.
  10. 4.
  11. 5.
  12. Part II: Crawl
  13. 6.
  14. 7.
  15. 8.
  16. 9.
  17. 10.
  18. 11.
  19. 12.
  20. 13.
  21. 14.
  22. 15.
  23. 16.
  24. 17.
  25. 18.
  26. 19.
  27. 20.
  28. 21.
  29. 22.
  30. 23.
  31. 24.
  32. 25.
  33. 26.
  34. 27.
  35. 28.
  36. 29.
  37. 30.
  38. 31.
  39. Part III: Rise
  40. 32.
  41. 33.
  42. 34.
  43. 35.
  44. 36.
  45. 37.
  46. 38.
  47. 39.
  48. 40.
  49. Acknowledgements
  50. About the Author

Brenda thanks Hawk and moves on to the older woman sitting beside him, who tells the group about her grandson, Stephen, who passed away four weeks ago, and his struggles as a gay teen, and the medication he was put on despite the warnings. The same medication Sunil was taking, Kavita notes. She’s angry he was put on the medication to begin with. He wasn’t sick, she insists. He was being bullied. They didn’t do enough at the school to protect him. And there was bullying on the internet, too. What’s wrong with children these days? How can they do these things to each other? He snuck out with the car, tied a pipe to the exhaust, and asphyxiated himself. He was seventeen. Not even graduated, yet. She doesn’t know how to help her son through this loss. She buried her husband two years ago, but he was an old man, his death made sense. But this, burying the son of a son, it’s too awful to comprehend. She’s an old woman. How can life have turned out this way? She tried to get her son to join her tonight, but he won’t talk, not to anyone, not even their pastor. Her family doctor told her about the group. That’s why she came tonight. Also, she’s started taking antidepressants, but hopefully not for long, just until things get better. Things will get better, won’t they?