Cool Campers by Mike Knudson Page B

a pair of underpants on your head, you can do anything.” We all clapped, and Toad sat down.
    BB stood up and was quiet for about a minute. “You guys have been awesome. None of you have made fun of me for liking bugs, or Graham for pretending he has a girlfriend, or Carl for picking his nose—”
    â€œWhat? I don’t pick my nose!” Carl interrupted. We all giggled.
    â€œI guess I just want to say thanks. It’s been a great time.” Then BB threw his fists into the air and yelled, “Toad Claws rule !”
    Tiny got up next. He had his usual smile on his face. “This has been the best week of my life. I’ve learned so much. Not just about hiking and swimming and other camp stuff, but I learned that I really shouldn’t jump off the top bunk when someone’s foot is close by. I learned that I can throw toilet paper really far. And best of all, I learned that I look great with underwear on my head.” We clapped, and Tiny sat down.
    Graham stood up next. His gold claw clinked against the big bear claw with the China sticker on it. I guess now he’s two parts bear.
    â€œToad is the best, you guys are the best, Camp Grizzly is the best!” Graham said. “Oh, and did I ever tell you about my girlfriend, Kelly? Because she’s the best too.” We all busted up.
    It was finally my turn.
    â€œI never thought I’d say this, but hopping around like a pirate toad with my claw in the air is the coolest thing I’ve ever done. HAR! TOAD CLAWS!” When I hopped around, everyone joined in.
    I thought we’d never go to sleep that night. We went to bed but stayed awake for hours just talking and laughing. All of a sudden it was morning and Toad was singing us one last wake-up song. We all packed up and headed for the lodge.
    When we got to the lodge, I saw that my mom was already there with a bunch of other parents. We introduced each other to our parents and showed them our Spirit Award bear claws. Just as Graham and I were about to leave, Tiny said, “Wait, guys! I’ve got something for you.” He reached into his bag and handed each of us a piece of paper. It was three copies of a picture he had drawn of all four of us—me, BB, Tiny, and Graham. In his picture we were all sitting on the bench in front of the cabin. Our fingers were all shaped like claws, and on each of our heads was, you guessed it, a pair of underpants.
    â€œYou drew a picture for your friends? How sweet!” Mom said. She squinted her eyes and looked closer. “Are those underpants on your heads?” she asked.
    We all cracked up at that.
    â€œI have something for you guys too,” BB said. He handed a little folded piece of paper to Graham and then one to me.
    â€œYou can open them later,” he said. He seemed kind of shy all of a sudden.
    â€œCome on, boys. It’s time to go,” Mom reminded us. We did our Toad Claw cheer one last time and said our good-byes.
    As soon as we got into the car, Graham and I unfolded our pieces of paper from BB. Mine simply said WORM MAN. I showed it to Graham.
    â€œWhat’s yours say?” I asked him.
    â€œTHE TP KING,” he said, showing it to me. “I guess we finally got some nicknames.”
    I tried it out. “Hmm, Worm Man.” I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to replace Raymond with Worm Man, but it still felt pretty cool to have my own nickname.
    On the ride home Graham and I told my mom about everything we’d done that week: the hiking, the swimming, and almost everything else. We didn’t tell her about stealing David’s underpants.
    â€œSpeaking of swimming,” Mom said. “I was talking to Brad’s mother this morning, and when I told her I was picking you up today, she invited you to their pool party later. She said she would have invited you earlier, but she thought you weren’t getting back from camp until tomorrow.”
    â€œReally?” I