7 Minutes Until the Rest of Our Lives

Chapter 2: Texts

            When I woke up, I felt something warm press against my body. I turned my head to see Peter with his arms wrapped around me. 

"Nope." I said, before using all my force to roll us both off the couch. 

"Ow! What the fuck?" Peter shouted. He looked at me and back at the couch. 

"I'm gonna ask one question: Why?" I giggled. 

"You were cuddling me and shit. And I said nah, so you went tumbling." 

"But you went tumbling too." He pointed out. 

"If that's the price I have to pay, so be it." He laughed and checked his phone. I stood up offering him a hand but he just laid there, typing on his keyboard. I walked into the kitchen after deciding I wasn't waiting anymore and looked for something to eat. 

"You hungry?" I shouted over my shoulder. I checked the time on the oven as I turned it on and got the pancake mix out. 9:28 A.M. 

"Sure. What you got?" He asked while walking towards the kitchen. I lifted up the box. He nodded in approval and continued playing on his phone. I got out the mixing bowls and the measuring cup. 

"Morning kids." My mom said as she rolled down the hallway in her wheelchair. 

"Morning ma'am." Peter said, smiling at Ma. She looked at him and she looked kind of mad. 

"Peter Zander. I've known you since you were little. Call me Ma, please." Ma sighed. This wasn't the first time she has told him. It was the fifth, at least. He still called her ma'am out of respect. He couldn't help it. It was how he was raised. 

"Sorry, Ma. Old habits die hard." He said. She smiled at him and turned to me. 

"What are you cooking?" I smiled. 

"Pancakes. You want some?" 

"Yes please," she said, before wheeling into the living room. Our house was kind of a mess. Mostly just a walkway to get to each room. It's a whole bunch of things I had to go through but with me going to school, work, and my extracurriculars, I never had time. With summer here, maybe I can work on it a bit more. That was the plan today at least. "So how did you kids sleep?" 

"We slept fine. Had a very interesting wake-up call though." Peter said, rubbing the back of his head. I gave him a dirty look before saying, 

"How about you, Ma? How'd you sleep?" I asked her. 

"Fine. Coughing as usual," She sighed at the reality of how sick she is. Me and Peter exchanged glances before being interrupted by her. "But anyways, when are you going home Anna?" 

"Ma, it's summer vacation. I'm home for the summer so I can help you out." I said. She checked her watch. 

"Man, this year is flying by, isn't it?" I chuckled to myself. It really was flying by. And it's really hard to believe that just a year ago, I was graduating high school with my four best friends. The plan was to go to college together too, but Ezra and Marcy said they weren't interested. So, it was just me and Peter at Wayne County Community College District. Something simple for us both and what we want to be. I want to be a nurse and Peter wants to be a doctor. Mostly because of my mom but because we want to be able to help people like we helped each other. Save their lives, literally. 

"Anyway, what's your plans for today, kids?" Ma asked us. Peter shrugged his shoulders. 

"I was going to straighten up the house with Peter's help." I answered. I smiled at Peter as he glared. He was a lazy person. He hated cleaning. His motto is 'Not my mess, not my problem.'