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Back Surrender Your Sons Save as PDF
Chapters (43)
  1. Author’s Note with Content Warnings
  2. CHAPTER ONE
  3. CHAPTER TWO
  4. CHAPTER THREE
  5. CHAPTER FOUR
  6. CHAPTER FIVE
  7. CHAPTER SIX
  8. CHAPTER SEVEN
  9. CHAPTER EIGHT
  10. CHAPTER NINE
  11. CHAPTER TEN
  12. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  13. CHAPTER TWELVE
  14. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  15. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  16. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  17. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  18. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  19. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  20. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  21. CHAPTER TWENTY
  22. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  31. CHAPTER THIRTY
  32. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  41. CHAPTER FORTY
  42. EPILOGUE
  43. Acknowledgments

The Reverend’s hollow chuckle fills the car. “Actually, very few who work here are former campers. All kinds of different circumstances pull people to Nightlight.” When his smile fades, a chilling shadow falls along with it. “Mr. Major, you’re here to learn, not be a detective. Ricky Hannigan was a wild boy who came to Nightlight, lived a relatively long life, and died. Do you understand?”

I nod, praying the Reverend can’t hear my rapid, tin-drum heartbeat. “I’m done with Ricky. He was just a guy I delivered meals to. He’s gone, and…what happened to him doesn’t matter.”

“Good boy.” The Reverend drops my Expulsion Diary into my lap. Until now, I didn’t realize I hadn’t had it with me. I must’ve left it in the mobile home when I went to look for Molly. “Expulsion class is next. Write about your sexuality’s most powerful root. Begin with the full story of how you got your girlfriend pregnant, and we’ll see—if there’s no more talk of Ricky Hannigan, maybe I’ll choose to believe you.”

He exits the Wrangler without another word and jumps down to the gravel.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

EXPULSION

On my journey up the zigzagging stairs to Briggs’s treehouse office, my pockets sink under a growing weight: Bill’s headphones in my waistband; his Walkman in my right pocket; Ricky’s Playbill in my left, alongside the Reverend’s Polaroid. If I collect anything more, I’m going to need cargo shorts or something.

At least I’m safe among campers in the office. Saf-er. Each of the dozen campers—Overs, Unders, and Beginners—gathers in the half-moon desks and awaits the reading of our Expulsion Diaries. Molly, Marcos, and Darcy crane their heads toward me. I don’t know how to begin catching them up on all the breaking news that’s happened since I set off for the clifftop, so I dodge everyone’s eyes and rush to an open desk in the back. Only a few hours ago, Briggs assigned me to write about my queerness’s “root cause,” but that request was immediately followed by Miss Manners attacking Molly, Darcy roping me into her spy games, having to hide from Briggs and Drew while they went at it like dogs, and the Reverend practically dangling me off a cliff.

When was I supposed to have time to write anything?