Cool Campers Read Online Free PDF Page A

question?” Fuzzy said. The room went silent. I tried to think of something funny.
    â€œHi, I was just wondering, what . . . um . . .”
    â€œWhat were you wondering?” Fuzzy asked, trying to help me along.
    â€œI was wondering what . . . smells in here. Yes, that’s it. I was wondering what smells in here.” Perfect, I thought. Smells are always funny.
    Unfortunately, before anyone could appreciate my funniness, I heard David yell from across the room, “It’s you that smells!” Immediately there was a roar of laughter from the crowd.
    â€œThat didn’t go so well,” I complained to Graham. “I just made David look more popular.”
    â€œYou should have said one of those pirate things like I did,” Graham said.
    Fuzzy led the group in one last camp cheer, and then the meeting was over.
    We all followed our counselors back to our cabins.
    â€œHey, Toad, can we stop at the Trading Post?” Tiny asked.
    â€œYou mean you guys haven’t been to the Trading Post yet?” Toad looked completely amazed. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or if he was serious. “Well, let’s hop on over.” He turned and hopped down the path to the Trading Post. Some of our group hopped too. I thought we looked a little silly. This is definitely not helping us look cool , I thought.
    It appeared that most of the camp had the same idea as us. The Trading Post was packed. Most of the kids were gathered around the candy, so we went to the opposite end.
    I picked up a leather string with a bear claw hanging from it. “Hey, check this out.” Graham rushed over and snatched it from my hand.
    â€œNo way! A real bear claw! And it’s only four ninety-nine! Nothing says cool like a real bear claw!” Suddenly, a familiar voice and a familiar punch to my arm interrupted our conversation.
    â€œWhere’d you get that plastic claw? From a plastic bear?” David laughed his crazy laugh. Life had been much happier for me since school let out, without David’s nastiness and the daily slug to my arm.
    â€œWhat do you mean, plastic?” Graham snapped back. “Looks pretty real to me.”
    â€œOh sure, I know a lot of bears that have little stickers on their claws that say CHINA on them.” I had learned to just ignore David, but Graham always had to have the last word.
    â€œSo you don’t think there are bears in China?” Graham said.
    â€œEven if there are, how many have stickers on their claws?” David grabbed another claw from the shelf and held it up to Graham’s face. I had to agree with David, but Graham wasn’t going to give up that easily.
    â€œHave you ever examined a Chinese bear’s claw up close?” Graham shot back. David just rolled his eyes and dropped the claw back on the shelf.
    Just then Flex walked up. “Hey,” he told David, “don’t waste your time arguing with these guys over a stupid plastic claw.”
    Graham smiled at David. “Yeah. Take a hike.”
    Then I got my nerve up and added, “Yeah, take a hike up to Grizzly Peak.” That was the three-mile hike we would be doing this week. I thought it was a pretty clever comment, since we were at camp.
    David made a fist and punched it into his other hand. “You’d better watch what you say.” Obviously, he didn’t appreciate my Grizzly Peak line. Just then Toad and our patrol came over.
    â€œWhat’s the problem over here?” he asked.
    â€œAre these your boys?” Flex asked Toad. Then he turned to David. “Come on, man. You don’t want to mess around with toads—you might get warts.” He laughed and headed toward the door. David and the others followed.
    â€œYou can’t get warts from a toad!” BB yelled after them. “Idiots,” he added under his breath. It seemed like BB couldn’t stand to hear anything wrong being said about bugs or toads.
    Graham