so i'm at the gas station to fill up and find out that this last tank yielded a record (for me) 25.6 mpg. woohooo

i finish up and i notice that my fuel guage didn't go past the full line like it normally does. it usually passes the full indicator by about 5 degrees or so. whatever, i figure the hose lost its seal or something and the handle popped early. i start on my way home at i see the indicator pass the 7/8 mark at ~26 miles. WTF?? it never moves that fast. i'm traveling around 80 mph and not aggressively at all, just cruising. i got to my exit and pull over to another gas station to refill again. 2.5 gallons goes in and the indicator is at the full mark again. right at it, not past it. so it took me roughly 2.5 gallons to go 35 miles????? no way.

i pop the hood an pull out a flashlight and look all around the engine bay then underneath the car. nothing. the fuel door was closed and the **** was on tight as usual. what gives?