Sidekick

Chapter 3

Beep! Beep!

I bolt up. My hair falls into my eyes as my blankets land in my lap. My heart pounds inside my rib cage.

Beep!

I turn my head towards the beeping.

My alarm clock blinks a glaring red as it continues to beep. I reach over and shut the alarm off, which stops the blinking. I rub my eyes as the time sinks in. Seven o'clock?

That's not right.

There's no way that's right.

I throw my blankets off as I jump out of bed. I run over to my desk. Grabbing my phone from where it sits I rip the charger out of it. As I wait for it to power on I chew my lip.

Why didn't Peggy wake me up for our morning run? She's normally always here at six. I only ever set my alarm just in case. I never would have thought in a million years that it would wake me up instead of Peggy.

My phone finally powers on.

Any bit of calm I had seeps out of me.

There's no text from Peggy.

My thoughts start to swirl around me, slowly closing in.

Why didn't she wake me? Or text me? Is she okay? Is she sick? Did a villain find out her secret identity?

I suck in air, trying to get even the smallest amount in. It's like my lungs have collapsed and there's no hope in saving them.

She's just sick. I tell myself. She's still sleeping and just hasn't gotten the chance to text me about it yet. It's fine. Everything is fine.

As my breathing starts to slow and air finds its way into my lungs I start to get ready for the day. Once I'm dressed and my breathing is normal I head downstairs.

What will mom think? Will she be worried? Will she demand that I tell her what's going on? Will she accept that I don't know?

When I reach the bottom of the stairs I take a deep breath before turning into the kitchen.

Mom stands at the stove with a pan in mid-air as she flips a pancake. I watch as it flies up into the air and lands back in the pan with ease.

Mom must sense me watching her because she turns around with a raised eyebrow. "You slept in," she comments.

I nod, still frozen at the door.

"Where's Peggy?" she asks.

I look away and give her a shrug.

"Would you talk please?" she snaps as she turns back to the stove.

I sigh and move farther into the kitchen. "I think she's sick."

"You think?"

"No. She is. I got a text from her this morning."

"Aw, poor girl. Tell her I hope she feels better." She turns around and shoves a plate of pancakes at me.

"I already did." I take the plate over to the island. Grab the maple syrup, pour it on and start eating.

"Does she need me to bring anything over for her? Soup maybe?"

I shake my head.

Mom raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything. We both know that if she can't care for Peggy when she's sick then no one will. Mr. Maye – Peggy's dad, is always buried in his work. Mom says he wasn't always like that, but after Peggy was born and her mother left it was his way of coping.