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Mom has discovered the $2,000 charge through her online bill. She believes her credit card information has been stolen. David is so wracked with guilt that he confesses and explains everything about the hot dog and botched auction. David’s parents forbid him from going to the contest tomorrow. David says the point of the contest is to pay them back, but they are angry that he has broken their trust.

David rants that no one pays attention to him and he is just the babysitter. He accuses Mom and Dad of being too busy with their own things. When Dad tries to say this is just about David’s behavior, David retorts that this is the only mistake he has ever made, and that Mal gets to mess up all the time with no punishment. He is interrupted by Mal’s shrieking from the backyard.

Mal’s meltdown is bad. He bangs his head on the backyard fence and elbows Dad in the nose. Mom brings out the rug, but Mal violently refuses and kicks David in the shin. Dad grabs Mal, and they fall to the ground, still struggling. Bridgette stands by, unsure if she should call 911.

Mal’s screams turn to sobs. He bites Dad and runs around, hitting the fence again. David gets Mal’s headphones on, and Mal stops fighting and consents to using the rug. He has a large cut on his head. When David puts Mal’s sunglasses on, Mal observes the family around him and smiles. Mom takes Dad inside to clean his wounds while David and Bridgette supervise Mal. Bridgette tells David that she and Derek broke up. Bridgette admits that she clung to Derek because she’s lonely in college.

Mal falls asleep. They unroll him and take him to his room, where Mom tends to his cut. Mom asks David to stay with Mal, but Bridgette volunteers to stay instead. David and Mom both realize that it’s rare for Bridgette to spend time alone with Mal. She stays and reads to him. David cleans the kitchen. As Mom and Dad talk in the bedroom, David imagines they’re talking about what a terrible kid he is.

David cannot sleep. He can’t bear the thought of getting up and eating breakfast with his parents after breaking their trust. David feels guilty but still believes his punishment is unfair.

David recalls a time when he and Dad were supposed to go to a ball game, but Dad got a work call. He had to drop everything to deliver a refrigerator part because the delivery drivers were on strike. Although Dad agreed with the striking employees, the client would’ve otherwise lost several tons of product. Dad felt bad crossing the picket line, but he explained to David that one must sometimes “do the wrong thing for the right reason” (220).

David arranges to meet up with HeyMan and Cyn in the morning. He writes a letter to Mom and Dad, in which he apologizes for stealing the credit card and lying about it and for going to the contest anyway. It’s the only way he knows to pay them back. He believes that Mal wants him to go. He leaves the letter on the table before sneaking out early the next morning.

David, Cyn, and HeyMan ride the 4-H bus with all the farm kids to the Iowa State Fair. David feels sick, nervous, and guilty. Cyn has a list of things she’d like to do and see at the state fair, and there’s plenty of time before the contest starts. They do several things together before David splits off from the couple to check out the contest setup.

David scopes out the Pigorino’s Pizza stand, which has been upgraded for the contest. There’s a line of people waiting for free slices. David spots a girl he knows from school, Emily. He chats with her. Emily introduces David to her friend, Alicia, who has just moved to the area. Alicia thinks it’s cool that David is in the contest.

David discovers that The Gurge is competing as well. David recalls that The Gurge was barred from the Nathan’s Famous contest, freeing him up to compete in the Pigorino’s qualifier. David is anxious and furious. He doesn’t know if he can beat The Gurge. David learns that the pizzas for the contest will be plain cheese.

Egon Belt finds David. They chat about The Gurge. Egon has never beaten him, but he thinks both he and David have a chance. He has known The Gurge—whose real name is Virgil—for years. Egon warns that they need to keep an eye on Virgil, who can be unscrupulous.

Papa Pigorino calls contestants to the stage. Cyn and HeyMan find David and give him a pep talk. He tells them about The Gurge and apologizes in advance for losing. Cyn and HeyMan still believe in David. David and Egon sit on either side of The Gurge. As Papa counts down the minutes until the contest begins, more and more people gather. The Gurge tries to get into David’s head, but David knows he’s a liar and a thief.

As the final countdown begins, David looks at the growing crowd. He spots HeyMan with his arm around Cyn. He sees Emily and Alicia right up front. He notices The Gurge looking nervous. The contest begins.

David is impressed by The Gurge’s speed. David tries to keep up and not think about it. He follows all his training and finishes his first pizza in two minutes. He’s behind The Gurge, but not by much, and he’s on par with Egon Belt. Several eaters have already given up by the time David begins his third pizza.

David watches as The Gurge sneakily squeezes some liquid onto Egon’s pizza without Egon noticing. The Gurge quickly stashes the bottle away. The Gurge and Egon are tied now, with David trailing a couple slices behind. Suddenly, Egon falls to the ground and vomits. The Gurge thrusts his fist in the air to celebrate Egon’s demise, and the squeeze bottle falls from his pocket. David grabs it before anyone notices.

Suddenly, The Gurge punches David in the stomach under the table. David nearly throws up but manages to keep the food down. David distracts The Gurge and empties the bottle’s contents onto The Gurge’s pizza. Moments later, The Gurge backs up from the table and starts vomiting.

David’s only remaining competition is a man named Turk, who has a large cheering section. David suddenly hears his own name and looks up to spot Mal sitting on Dad’s shoulders with Mom nearby. Mal has learned the words Go and David and uses them to cheer David on. With the encouragement of his family, and especially Mal, David finds the strength to press on.

David wins, eating 50 slices of pizza. Cameras and reporters mob the stage. It’s a blur to David, who just wants to lie down. Papa presents David with a check for $5,000. David goes to find his friends and family, but he finds The Gurge, still incapacitated. David gives him the empty squeeze bottle.

On the way home, Dad explains that David is right. Although Mom and Dad try their best, they can sometimes be unfair. Bridgette is needy and seeks her parents’ validation constantly. Mal has his own needs and challenges. Between the two of them, Mom and Dad see David as the easy child. Dad says David is a low-maintenance kid, and that’s not a bad thing. He assures David that Mom and Dad love David. They’re proud of him and thankful for him.

Dad lectures David on earning their trust back. He lied about the credit card and snuck out to the eating contest, so he is banned from eating contests while living at home. David doesn’t hate this idea.

Cyn says the squeeze bottle likely contained ipecac, a medicine used to make people vomit. David feels bad for Egon, whom he believes should have won the contest. David tells Cyn how Mal started saying Go, David, Go when Dad tried to retrieve David from the fair alone. Cyn reveals that she has found Jooky, who works at a record store in New Jersey when he’s not competitive eating.

Cyn and David talk about Cyn and HeyMan’s relationship. They haven’t put a label on it yet. David understands, and he’s okay with it. He thought he was jealous but recognizes he was just worried about the changing dynamic. He wonders how things will change going forward. Cyn assures him that the three of them will always be best friends.

David contacts the record shop and gets in touch with Jooky, who reveals that The Gurge paid him $20 to sign the certificate, and that the hot dog is not the hot dog from the competition. He thought it was a joke, and he feels bad that David bought the hot dog.

David contacts The Gurge’s mother, who is very proud of Virgil’s eating accomplishments. David tells her about the auction and shares his worries that the auction was rigged. Virgil’s mother reveals that Virgil’s wife works for the auction website. David thinks this is proof that Virgil had the auction rigged to max out David’s accidental $2,000 maximum bid. He mentions bringing the matter to the police. Virgil’s mom is angry, but she believes David.

David receives a check in the mail from Virgil’s mom for $2,000. Mom is thankful that she doesn’t have a son like Virgil. Mom promises to pay HeyMan and Cyn. She wants to put the rest of the money into a college fund for David. David asks if he can give some of it to Egon Belt because he thinks Egon should’ve won. Mom tells David to think about it.

A week later, David and HeyMan ride their bikes to Egon’s house, 10 miles out of town. They talk about HeyMan and Cyn’s relationship. HeyMan wants to make sure David is okay with it; David is. He genuinely thinks they make a good couple.

David knocks on Egon’s door and offers him the money. Egon is aware that The Gurge poisoned him, and he blames himself for not paying attention. Egon thinks David did a good thing by using the ipecac against Virgil. David eliminated the real cheater. Egon thinks it’s admirable for David to want to give him prize money, but he encourages David to keep it.

David and his friends have started high school. He still sees HeyMan and Cyn regularly, but they spend time together without him. He’s okay with that because he’s been spending time with Alicia. They get pizza together regularly. Bridgette has a new boyfriend name Gaarth. David and Mal like Gaarth better than Derek.

David will be in college in a few more years. He knows he’s not scholarship material, but he believes he’ll find ways to pay for it—maybe eating contests. Mal will still be at home, as always. He has learned two new words: Arfie and mine. Mom is still holding out for Mom and Dad. David knows Mal will get there eventually. David now sees Mal, not himself, as the meat in a slider bun, gluing the family together. He knows things will be okay as long as Mal teaches them the Rules as they go.