Jerry wondered as he hurried to his room to get his swim things. Aw, he was probably just joking around. Like he said, his bark is worse than his bite. Not that I have to worry about that, because nothing is going to go wrong! He emptied his knapsack out on his bed. He was stuffing a beach towel and bathing suit into it when his mother called up. “Jerry! Please bring your dirty clothes downstairs so I can wash them!” “Okay, Mom!” Jerry replied. He gathered up the clothes and headed downstairs. “I’m going to the pool after lunch, okay?” “Sure,” she said. She looked out the window. “I see Stookie’s not going. He and his family just pulled out of the driveway with a car full of camping gear.” “Yeah, they’re gone for three days,” Jerry said. “I’m taking care of Stookie’s gerbils.” “That’s a big responsibility,”
