Chapter 2 – Too Good to be True
As Clover drives the ladies home, she notices that Sam is unusually quiet in the back seat.
At the next stoplight, Clover turns around and comments, "What's the matter, Sammie? Cat got your tongue?" But instead she notices Sam munching on a donut.
"Where did you get that donut, Sammie?" asks Clover.
"Ohhhhh, I didn't eat all of the free donut we got at the Mall, and decided to finish it now."
But as Clover turns back to continue driving, she notices Alex munching on a donut, too.
"Same for me," replies Alex defensively, before Clover can say anything.
Clover was almost sure that Sam and Alex had finished their free donuts before they continued shopping at the mall, but she reasons she could easily have been wrong.
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The ladies unload back at the villa and are relaxing on the sofa by the fish tank. Again, Clover notices both Sam and Alex munching a donut.
"Boy, you guys sure can make one donut last a long time," Clover comments. Sam and Alex smile weakly.
Over the remaining days of the weekend, Clover notices Sam and Alex constantly munching donuts. They both made a special trip "to get gas" on Sunday for their vehicles.
Something is wrong here, Clover thinks to herself. Nobody munches the same donut over a weekend. And Clover does a little snooping on her friends. She finds an empty box of Gina's Donuts in the trashcan of both Alex and Sam's bedroom. As she starts snooping in the kitchen, she finds two more empty boxes in the trash, and four full boxes hidden away in a cupboard. Clover decides that it's just a craving, and Sam and Alex will soon be over their donut sweet tooth.
But she is wrong. During the ensuing week, whenever she sees Alex or Sam, they are eating a donut, and not just at the villa, either. They're constantly munching on them at school, as are a number of other students, Mandy and her friends included.
Clover sees an ideal opportunity to take a dig at Mandy.
"Why, Mandy! Have you and your friends opened you're revolving charge accounts at the HVG Big and Tall store? With all the weight you've put on, you need to!"
But this time, Mandy has the last laugh. "You talk about me and my friends, Clover, but what about Alex and Sam? They're starting to look like dates for bull elephants! HAAAAA!HAAAAAA!" And she and her friends go laughing off to their next class.
Clover can see that the exchange has embarrassed and hurt both Sam and Alex. "She shouldn't have said that, guys! You're not THAT heavy!" But this comment only deepens the hurt feelings. Uneasily, the ladies go on to their next class.
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When Saturday rolls around, the ladies go on their Mall shopping trip. This time the first store they stop at is the HVG Big and Tall store. They are not alone. The store is filled to overflowing with customers! Clover notices a number of students, as well as teachers from Bev High. She also notices a number of people from around town.
Another store doing a brisk business is Gina's Donuts. There is a line out of the store that takes an hour to navigate, but navigate it they do, as Sam and Alex insist on stopping in. When it is their turn, both Sam and Alex each buy ten boxes of donuts! Clover decides she has to confront her girlfriends about their problem when they get home.