Like Bees to Honey | gxg

21. The Cruelest Betrayal

"I don't get it," Riley said, when Sabina told them about cousin Wyatt's awful plan. "Isn't the blockchain like, NFTs and cryptocurrency?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Ahead, Wyatt walked with Sabina's parents, his hands flying as fast as his words until he was distracted by a well-loved old video game system poking out of a pile of old appliances. Antique furniture, gently used kitchen gadgets, worn books, and a chaotic assortment of other goods spilled over the rows of tables laid out on the church lawn for the big yard sale. Earlier, Sabina had helped carry in the curated contents of her family's attic, but now that the sale was in full swing they were free to browse, and they weren't alone. Despite the haze in the air from a distant forest fire that overnight had begun to billow smoke across the lake, High Valley had turned out in droves to find new-to-them treasures and share gossip with friends over fresh-squeezed lemonade and homemade baking.

Sabina slowed down and let other people move between her and her family. She couldn't stand to be near cousin Wyatt for a minute longer.

While she picked through a rack of dresses, Riley turned their cup of lemonade between their palms, bumping the metal straw along their gums. "So, what's the actual business plan? Is it NFTs? Does he want to mint NFTs for the bees? What does that even mean?"

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure he was just saying nonsense words for the whole presentation. My parents acted like they got it, but I don't believe them. What do you think?" She held a long paisley dress up against her chest and swished her hips back and forth.

Riley considered. "It's great. You can twin with my grandma."

Making a face, Sabina put the dress back. "I'm not ready to accept that fate yet."

They moved on.

"I just don't understand. Cousin Wyatt always has a new business idea, and they never work out. How is this dumb blockchain plan better than everything I've been doing?"

"What are your parents gonna do?" Riley asked, stopping to thumb through a pile of old comic books.

Sabina pushed out a sigh. "I think they've lost their minds, but they're gonna let him try it. Whatever it is."

She picked up a tarnished candle stick, then set it back down. It was fruitless to try to distract herself from the misery of realizing that she had failed. Her whole four-step plan for an unforgettable summer was worthless now. Without a plan, how was she supposed to know what to do?

Restlessness kept her moving down the tables. Riley followed, still slurping their lemonade. The sound was driving Sabina up the wall.

They gave her a hopeful grin. "I know his last scheme was a disaster, but who knows. Maybe this one will work."

"It's not gonna work."

"But if it did, that'd be good for the farm, right?"

Sabina shot them a glare. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

They lifted their shoulders. "Everything is always about sides with you. The farm is in trouble, right? If cousin Wyatt's plan could make a difference, shouldn't that make you happy?"

"No, because if his stupid blockchain thing works, then that just proves they don't need me."

"I mean, they did run the farm for a lot of years without you. Besides, maybe your parents would relax about the school thing if they weren't so worried about money."

Their perfectly reasonable tone infuriated her. "You don't get it. You're lucky that your grandma doesn't mind that you're not doing anything with your life. But my parents have a plan for me, and they don't care if I don't like it."