Saw 3 Chapter 3
The next day at school, Amelia and Maya joined the group, which was only missing Ava. Sabrina and Nick were holding hands. Veronica stood close to Sabrina, arms crossed. Lucas smiled at their newcomers as they approached them.
"Morning," Lucas said to Maya and Amelia.
"Yes it is," Amelia said.
"Ugh, where is Ava with our coffee?" Veronica asked. She took out her phone.
Maya looked at the members of the group. "How long have you all been friends?"
Veronica gave Maya a weird look.
Sabrina answered, "I've known Veronica since we were 10. I meet Nick my freshman year and we started dating last year."
"Lucas is my best friend," Nick said. He poked Lucas on the stomach. "We've known each other since 4th grade."
"And are you two dating?" Amelia asked Lucas and Veronica.
"No," Veronica and Lucas said simultaneously. Veronica looked rather disgusted at the idea.
"What about Ava?" Maya asked.
"Ava joined us last year," Veronica said. She was still glued to her phone. "We have most of our parties at her house. It's huge and her parents work nights."
"That's actually how we met her," Lucas said. "At one of her parties."
"And before she throws another one," Sabrina said, "Lucas, you need to go to the damn mall and get clothes that don't look like they've been in the shredder."
Everyone looked at Lucas's pants. They were stained and ripped. The tears looked like they happened over time. It wasn't the design. He tired to play it of like he wasn't uncomfortable, but Maya could see through it.
"I'm here," Ava said from behind them. She carried two trays with coffees in them. Sabrina grabbed her drink first. "Hot coffee with cream." Veronica went for her drink next. "Cold Caramel Macchiato." For Nick, "A hot caramel brûlée." For Lucas, "A hot chocolate."
"You're such a child," Sabrina said to Lucas.
"And For Maya," Ava said.
Maya gave a small smile. Amelia nodded and nudged Maya.
"A hot coffee." Ava said. "And For Amelia... another hot coffee."
"Thank you," Maya said.
"I don't what you guys like so... I figured Maya would need something hot. You seem to shiver a lot."
Maya let out a quick laugh.
Lucas chuckled at her laugh. He not longer looked uncomfortable.
"For me," Ava said, "A delicious vanilla bean Frappuccino."
Everyone sipped their drinks in silence. Ava looks so happy with her cold drink in the winter. Maya look a few sips. Amelia drank it, trying to hide her disgusted face.
"For the record, I like caramel lattes, iced," Amelia said. She expressed some attitude as she said it.
Ava blinked at her a few times and went back to her drink.
"And what about you two?" Lucas asked, looking at Maya.
"Huh?" Maya asked.
"How long have you known Amelia?" Lucas asked.
"Since her freshman year. Over two years..." Maya said.
In Maya's history class, they were learning about famous people from the last 1800s. The teacher gave the lecture using a PowerPoint. After a few slides, the teacher would ask the class a question from the lecture. No one would raise their hand.
"Maya Shaw," the teacher called.
Maya closed her eyes. Damn.
"Maya? Can you tell us what the population was like in the 1890s?" The teacher asked.
Maya shrugged as if it was obvious. "Declining."
"Could you give more details?" The teacher asked.
Maya gave a side smile and stood up.
Lucas and Veronica who sat in the back of the class looked at her. Veronica put her phone away and Lucas woke up from his nap.
"The popularity was decreasing seeing as Herman Webster Mudgett, also known as H. H. Holmes, was killing people in his hotel." The teacher tried to stop Maya, but she kept talking. "His hotel was full of traps. Windowless rooms. Hallways that led to nowhere. Herman gassed out residents. At the time, no one knew what a serial killer was, making is easier to lure people to his hotel, killing 27 people."
"Maya that's enough!" The teacher said. "Take your seat."
Several students in the class snickered.
"Is all that true?" The boy sitting next to Maya asked.
"Yeah," Maya whispered.
"See that's interesting," The boy said. "Why don't we ever learn the cool stuff in history?"
In the back of the class, Veronica whispered to Lucas, "What a weirdo."
"I think she could tell some great stories," Lucas said.
Veronica rolled her eyes and glanced up at the PowerPoint.
In Amelia's chemistry class, the students worked on a group assignment. Amy teamed up with Sabrina, Nick, and one other student. Sabrina and Nick were too busy whispering inside jokes to each other and holding one another to do the work. Amelia and the other student did the work alone.
"Thanks for doing the work," Sabrina told Amelia as they walked out of class.
Amelia gave a fake smile and walked away.
In PE, as all the other students were doing Pacers, Maya took a bathroom break outside the gym. While in the bathroom, she saw a pair of blue sneakers in one of the stalls.
On Maya's way back to class, she was startled by two people in a fight. She hid around the corner and peeked over. It was Nick!
Nick shoved another boy up against the wall. "What makes you think you can talk like that to my girlfriend?" Nick was in a rage.
"She was flirting with me too-" The boy said.
"You heard what you wanted to hear. Sabrina and I are together. Stay away from her." Nick said. "She wants nothing to do with you."
"Sabrina can speak for herself," the boy said.
Nick shoved the boy against the wall again, making the boy hit his head. "Don't test me."
Nick walked away, and the boy slid down the wall. He touched the back of his head and looked at the blood on his hand.
Maya his back behind the corner, filled with anguish.
Amelia pulled aside in the cafeteria, while in line for lunch.
"Maya," Amelia said, "You better not be getting too attached to these people."
"What are you talking about?" Maya asked.
"Oh, thank you for this bitter coffee," Amelia mimicked.
"It was nice of them to get us something. We've only joined their group a day ago." Maya said. "I really didn't think she'd get us anything."
Amelia scoffed. "Ava got us the cheapest thing on the menu. And she doesn't seem to care what our drink preferences are. She can clearly afford it but doesn't care enough to ask." Amelia sighed. "Never mind the fact that you can't hardly drink hot coffee."
Maya shook her head. "I'm not getting attached so you can just shut up about it."
Amelia's head jerked back. "Well..."
"I feel like going to the mall," Ava announced. Everyone at their table looked at her.
Amelia's ayebrows narrowed. "Like this weekend?" she asked.
"Like today," Ava said. She made a face at Amelia.
"I have baseball practice," Nick said casually. He took a big bite out of his burger.
"Me too," Lucas said.
"I'm free," Sabrina said. She perked up in her seat.
"Me too," Veronica said. "I can drive us all after school. I'm parked by the sidewalk over there," she pointed behind them, "the blue Mercedes."
"Are you two coming?" Sabrina asked Maya and Amelia.
"Sure," Maya answered for them.
Amelia volunteered during her math class to make copies for their quiz. While in the office, waiting on the copies, she saw a familiar face go into the teacher's mailroom. Amelia peeked her head in and saw Lucas going through a teacher's mail. He held a slip of paper up. Amelia could see the words "test" and "answers" on it along with a stamp for Friday. Lucas took out his phone and snap a photo of the slip of paper.
Amelia went back to the copy machine and grabbed the copies. She checked back in the mailroom and double checked what she had seen. Mr. Nolan's mail. Slip of paper with "test" and "answers" on it with the stamp. Yep. He was looking at the answers for a test. Lucas is a cheater!
Veronica stood by her car looking around for the last passenger to arrive. She tapped her foot and grunted. "Where is she?"
Ava, standing by the passenger door, checked her phone. "It's only 3:10."
"I want to beat the traffic." Veronica said. Sabrina bumped Ava out of the way and sat in the passenger seat. "Maybe we should leave her."
"No," Amelia said quickly. "She's on her way."
Veronica sighed and got into her car. She turned the engine on.
Ava got in the back seat and looked at Amelia. "Girl get in."
"Not until Maya's here." Amelia said.
"You think we won't leave without you?" Ava said.
"There she is," Amelia said, pointing down the block.
"Get in the car. We'll drive to her," Veronica said.
"Excited for our girls day?" Ava asked the group.
"Sure," Veronica said, unenthusiastically. It was amazing. Veronica has gone a whole 20 minutes without being on her phone.
"Yeah," Maya said. "We haven't been to the mall since we moved here."
Sabrina turned back to Maya. "Well you're in for a treat. Our mall is full of the best stuff."
"The best shoes." Veronica said.
"Best dresses." Ava said.
"Best lip stick," Sabrina said.
"Best jeans," Veronica said.
"- I get it," Amelia said.
The girls paused for a moment, before Sabrina added, "Best earrings."
Amelia rolled her eyes, exageratedly.
Sabrina, Veronica, and Ava insisted on going to all the clothing stores in the mall, and skipping all the other stores. At each store they would look at every single piece of clothing, gather a handful of them to try on, and debate on it for five minutes. Veronica took several pictures of each outfit. They spent about a half hour in each store and would only buy one thing, if anything.
On the third store, Veronica picked up a dress and handed it to Maya. "You should try this on."
It was a blue dress with white lace at the top. The bottom part of the dress flowed above knee level. Maya took the dress and tried it on. Maya looked at herself in the mirror and spun around.
"Let us see it," Veronica said.
Maya came out for the dressing room and showed the girls.
Ava nodded in response. "Could be a good party dress."
"What did I tell you?" Veronica said. "You look good."
"How did you know my size?" Maya asked.
"Please, I've been watching modeling shows for years. I know a person's dress size like that." She snapped her fingers.
Maya looked at the price for the dress: $120.
"Oh don't look at the tag," Sabrina said. "Ava's paying for it."
Giggling, Maya went back into the dressing room, while Amelia glared at her.
The fourth store they visited was a make-up store. Veronica held Maya's hand, leading her through the shop. Veronica gathered sample make up in a pile and began applying them to Maya's face. Sabrina swapped out some of the make up in the pile.
"What are you doing?" Ava asked Sabrina.
Amelia stood off to the side, listening.
"Veronica's not the only one who knows make up." Sabrina said.
The end result had Maya looking quite different. The foundation added some color in her pale face. The collection of it all make Maya look like she didn't have a terminal illness. "Woah." Maya said.
"I would have gone with a lighter color eyeshadow, and lipstick" Veronica said, eying Sabrina, "But you look good."
"The red lipstick really brings out your lips," Sabrina said.
Veronica took a photo of Maya with the make up on.
"You're not gonna buy all that, are you?" Amelia asked.
"Why not?" Ava asked. "Oh, do you want some make up to? Veronica what do you recommend?"
"I don't want make up," Amelia said. "Maya, you don't t need all that."
Sabrina made a face to Veronica and Ava.
"She's not your mom," Ava said to Maya. "You can do what you want."
There was a pause before Sabrina spoke. "Well I'm getting bored here. If we're not buying anything, then let's go."
"At least get the foundation." Veronica said.
Maya glanced at Amelia. "Let's just move on." She said.
They passed by a gaming store on their way to yet another clothing store. Veronica tried on a pair of jeans in the dressing rooms. Ava and Sabrina were looking at clothes.
Suddenly, Maya felt uneasy. Warm. Nauseous. With her new dress in a bag around her wrist, Maya ran out of the store and to the mall's nearest bathroom.
Amelia noticed Maya leaving the shop and followed her. She heard Maya vomiting before turning the corner into the stalls.
When Maya came out of the stall, Amelia stood by the sink, offering her a breath mint. Maya washed out her mouth and took the mint.
"Well now your make up is all messed up," Amelia said, teasing.
"I guess it's a good thing I didn't get any make up," Maya said, exhausted.
"We should go," Amelia said. "Or stay in here. Honestly, they won't notice."
"You should text Samuel to pick us up." Maya said.
"Okay. Hey, this day gave some new ideas for traps for them." Amelia said. "I saw Lucas cheating for his test. I was thinking of a trap with..."
Maya zoned her out.
Samuel drove Maya and Amelia to the hospital. Maya's new doctors ran many tests on her, confirming that her illness was getting worse.
"Have either of you tested to see if you're a match?" The doctor asked Amelia and Samuel.
"We did," Samuel said. "And we weren't."
"It's harder to find a match if you're not biologically related to the patient-" the doctor said.
"We know," Amelia said. "And it's not fair."
"Maya will go on our transplant list for bone marrow." The doctor said.
"And how long will that take?" Amelia asked.
"It varies with every case. Could be a few days or it could be months." The doctor said.
"Months?" Samuel said. "Look at her. Maya doesn't have months."
"Isn't there anything else you can do?" Amelia asked.
"I'm afraid not." The doctor said.