The Cost of Cheap

"Nine hundred ninety-nine? That's way too expensive."

Bianca Lowell was the prettiest girl in our class, and her words landed on everyone like a bucket of ice water.

Every head turned toward her, confused and a little stunned.

"Agencies are all undercutting each other right now. I found a livestream selling twelve days across seven countries for five sixty-nine."

She pulled out her phone to prove it.

A promo poster filled the screen, ONLY $569 splashed across the corner in thick red type.

I didn't say anything. I just watched them.

I'd been running errands around my parents' agency since I was a kid, and I knew exactly how much of that business happens where the customer never sees it.

And nobody hands out something for nothing. When a deal looks too good to be true, that's usually because it is.

A classmate I got along with spoke up from the crowd. "Isn't five sixty-nine a little too cheap? I looked it up. The cheapest round-trip airfare alone runs over seven hundred."

Bianca lowered her phone, smiling like she'd already won.

"I asked the host about that. Their agency gets a tourism subsidy, which is why it's so low. And there's no mandatory shopping either."

That did it. People started believing her.

We were talking about a four-hundred-dollar gap. Anybody would stop and think about that.

"Riley, I'm only looking out for everyone. You're not mad at me, are you?

"Take Lily Barrett, or Marcus Dale. Their families don't have that kind of money. Nine ninety-nine is a lot to ask, and I want all of us to see Aurelia."

The kids she named really were the ones scraping by, farm families out past the county line.

I nodded. "Sure. I offered an option. Nobody's obligated to take it."

Then I added, "But five sixty-nine is impossibly cheap. You should look into it a lot harder before you hand over any money."

Bianca's smile went stiff. I'd embarrassed her in front of the whole class, and it showed.

"Give it a rest, Riley. You can fool the others, but don't try it on me.

"Everybody knows your family's agency drags people into shops and makes them buy things. It was on the news."

I turned to Mason Wexler. Our families went back years. His parents worked at Northcrest Air, and the two companies did business together.

Everyone at school knew how close we were.

Coming out of his mouth, the accusation carried weight it didn't deserve.

I watched my classmates' faces close up.

"Riley, honestly, your trip's too expensive. I'll go with Bianca."

"Just refund me. My mom told me to take the cheaper one."

The same people who'd been laughing and signing up two minutes earlier all wanted their money back.

I pulled out my phone and refunded them one by one.

The $999 package was already costing my family money. Them walking away just saved us the loss.