Stanley said, taking it out of his pocket.
Mr. Pendanski reached for Stanley’s canteen, but Stanley handed him the rock instead.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a fossil,” said Stanley. “See the fish?”
Mr. Pendanski looked at it again.
“See, you can even see all of its little bones,” said Stanley.
“Interesting,” said Mr. Pendanski. “Let me have your canteen.”
Stanley handed it to him. Mr. Pendanski filled it, then returned it.
“So do I get the rest of the day off?”
“What for?”
“You know, you said if I found something interesting, the Warden would give me the day off.”
Mr. Pendanski laughed as he gave the fossil back to Stanley. “Sorry, Stanley. The Warden isn’t interested in fossils.”
“Let me see that,” said Magnet, taking the rock from Stanley.
Stanley continued to stare at Mr. Pendanski. “Hey, Zig, dig this rock.”
“Cool,” said Zigzag.
Stanley saw his fossil being passed around.
“I don’t see nothing,” said X-Ray. He took off his glasses, wiped them on his dirty clothes, and put them back on.
“See, look at the little fishy,” said Armpit.
11
Stanley returned to his hole. It wasn’t fair. Mr. Pendanski had even said his fossil was interesting. He slammed his shovel into the ground and pried up another piece of earth.
After a while, he noticed X-Ray had come by and was watching him dig.
“Hey, Caveman, let me talk to you a second,” X-Ray said.
Stanley put down his shovel and stepped up out of his hole.
“Say, listen,” said X-Ray. “If you find something else, give it to me, okay?”
Stanley wasn’t sure what to say. X-Ray was clearly the leader of the group, and Stanley didn’t want to get on his bad side.
“You’re new here, right?” said X-Ray. “I’ve been here for almost a year. I’ve never found anything. You know, my eyesight’s not so good. No one knows this, but you know why my name’s X-Ray?”
Stanley shrugged one shoulder.
“It’s pig latin for Rex. That’s all. I’m too blind to find anything.”
Stanley tried to remember how pig latin worked.
“I mean,” X-Ray went on, “why should you get a day off when you’ve only been here a couple of days? If anybody gets a day off, it should be me. That’s only fair, right?”
“I guess,” Stanley agreed.
X-Ray smiled. “You’re a good guy, Caveman.”
Stanley picked up his shovel.
The more he thought about it, the more he was glad that he agreed to let X-Ray have anything he might find. If he was going to survive at Camp Green Lake, it was far more important that X-Ray think he was a good guy than it was for him to get one day off. Besides, he didn’t expect to find anything anyway. There probably wasn’t anything “of interest” out there, and even if there was, he’d never been what you could call lucky.
He slammed his blade into the ground, then dumped out another shovelful of dirt. It was a little surprising, he thought, that X-Ray was the leader of the group, since he obviously wasn’t the biggest or the toughest. In fact, except for Zero, X-Ray was the smallest. Armpit was the biggest. Zigzag may have been taller than Armpit, but that was only because of his neck. Yet Armpit, and all the others, seemed to be willing to do whatever X-Ray asked of them.
As Stanley dug up another shovelful of dirt, it occurred to him that Armpit wasn’t the biggest. He, the Caveman, was bigger.
He was glad they called him Caveman. It meant they acceptedhim as a member of the group. He would have been glad even if they’d called him Barf Bag.
It was really quite remarkable to him. At school, bullies like Derrick Dunne used to pick on him. Yet Derrick Dunne would be scared senseless by any of the boys here.
As he dug his hole, Stanley thought about what it would be like if Derrick Dunne had to fight Armpit or Squid. Derrick wouldn’t stand a chance.
He imagined what it would be like if he became good friends with all of them, and then for some reason they
Mr. Pendanski reached for Stanley’s canteen, but Stanley handed him the rock instead.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a fossil,” said Stanley. “See the fish?”
Mr. Pendanski looked at it again.
“See, you can even see all of its little bones,” said Stanley.
“Interesting,” said Mr. Pendanski. “Let me have your canteen.”
Stanley handed it to him. Mr. Pendanski filled it, then returned it.
“So do I get the rest of the day off?”
“What for?”
“You know, you said if I found something interesting, the Warden would give me the day off.”
Mr. Pendanski laughed as he gave the fossil back to Stanley. “Sorry, Stanley. The Warden isn’t interested in fossils.”
“Let me see that,” said Magnet, taking the rock from Stanley.
Stanley continued to stare at Mr. Pendanski. “Hey, Zig, dig this rock.”
“Cool,” said Zigzag.
Stanley saw his fossil being passed around.
“I don’t see nothing,” said X-Ray. He took off his glasses, wiped them on his dirty clothes, and put them back on.
“See, look at the little fishy,” said Armpit.
11
Stanley returned to his hole. It wasn’t fair. Mr. Pendanski had even said his fossil was interesting. He slammed his shovel into the ground and pried up another piece of earth.
After a while, he noticed X-Ray had come by and was watching him dig.
“Hey, Caveman, let me talk to you a second,” X-Ray said.
Stanley put down his shovel and stepped up out of his hole.
“Say, listen,” said X-Ray. “If you find something else, give it to me, okay?”
Stanley wasn’t sure what to say. X-Ray was clearly the leader of the group, and Stanley didn’t want to get on his bad side.
“You’re new here, right?” said X-Ray. “I’ve been here for almost a year. I’ve never found anything. You know, my eyesight’s not so good. No one knows this, but you know why my name’s X-Ray?”
Stanley shrugged one shoulder.
“It’s pig latin for Rex. That’s all. I’m too blind to find anything.”
Stanley tried to remember how pig latin worked.
“I mean,” X-Ray went on, “why should you get a day off when you’ve only been here a couple of days? If anybody gets a day off, it should be me. That’s only fair, right?”
“I guess,” Stanley agreed.
X-Ray smiled. “You’re a good guy, Caveman.”
Stanley picked up his shovel.
The more he thought about it, the more he was glad that he agreed to let X-Ray have anything he might find. If he was going to survive at Camp Green Lake, it was far more important that X-Ray think he was a good guy than it was for him to get one day off. Besides, he didn’t expect to find anything anyway. There probably wasn’t anything “of interest” out there, and even if there was, he’d never been what you could call lucky.
He slammed his blade into the ground, then dumped out another shovelful of dirt. It was a little surprising, he thought, that X-Ray was the leader of the group, since he obviously wasn’t the biggest or the toughest. In fact, except for Zero, X-Ray was the smallest. Armpit was the biggest. Zigzag may have been taller than Armpit, but that was only because of his neck. Yet Armpit, and all the others, seemed to be willing to do whatever X-Ray asked of them.
As Stanley dug up another shovelful of dirt, it occurred to him that Armpit wasn’t the biggest. He, the Caveman, was bigger.
He was glad they called him Caveman. It meant they acceptedhim as a member of the group. He would have been glad even if they’d called him Barf Bag.
It was really quite remarkable to him. At school, bullies like Derrick Dunne used to pick on him. Yet Derrick Dunne would be scared senseless by any of the boys here.
As he dug his hole, Stanley thought about what it would be like if Derrick Dunne had to fight Armpit or Squid. Derrick wouldn’t stand a chance.
He imagined what it would be like if he became good friends with all of them, and then for some reason they
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