Chapter 18

Graduation was an exciting experience for the group. Kylie, Skyler, Bob, and Jeremy all spent the day celebrating and signing yearbooks. The school, being smaller than other high schools, had a small and personal ceremony for graduation. They allowed each student to showcase and talk about what they were planning for the future.

While the whole group graduated at the top of their classes, Kylie was named valedictorian. She dedicated her speech to her friends and all the excellent teachers who supported her through the years. She even mentioned how she matured and grew up in her final year.

Both Kylie and Jeremy decided to attend UC Berkeley in California. Being one of the top public universities, it was home to all the possible programs they were interested in and was close enough to LA for some common trips. Kylie went undeclared, while Jeremy was accepted as a business major. Skyler and Bob also attended the same college, just across the bay at Stanford.

While Skyler and Bob had not planned on attending the same college, Bob was offered a full-ride scholarship, so it was a perfect situation. Skyler had even taken up track and field, which helped cover part of her tuition cost. Unknown to them at the time, Jeremy had offered their parents an anonymous donation for the tuition. All the parents quickly rejected the offer, though it did not go unappreciated. Jeremy instead started a scholarship fund for their old high school. His parents quickly matched it and pledged to give those who needed financial support five scholarships every year.

Jeremy’s parents also began the next phase of their business careers. They started multiple accelerator programs for small businesses in Westport, which would help propel small ideas to the national level. They had also started a speaking program traveling to many high schools and universities around the country to promote entrepreneurship. They kept in regular contact with Jeremy and the others throughout their travels and even had a large get-together once a semester.

Kylie’s mother also was advancing her career quickly. She had been appointed to take over her old boss’s job when he retired earlier in the year. Being trained by other executives, she would be named CTO in six weeks. The earlier investment by Jeremy’s parents led to substantial product growth, and they were predicting a record year.

Janelle even turned out to be okay. While her arrest in the planning stage of Bob’s assault had resulted in her expulsion from Westport High, Bob requested that she be allowed to finish the year at another high school. She ultimately had to perform fifty hours of community service and attend mandatory anger management classes. She apologized to Bob and the group before they left for college. While Jeremy still did not forgive her for what happened to Bob, he accepted the apology so they could all move on.

While their relationship had ups and downs, things ultimately worked out, and three years later, Jeremy proposed during their university graduation party. Bob proposed the next day at his and Skyler’s graduation. Jeremy and Bob had planned the proposals together to align with their group trip to London for the summer. Both girls were caught entirely by surprise but reacted with pure delight.

Kylie continued to explore her sexuality and, after that first night in the hotel, commonly enjoyed a highlight of different activities with Jeremy. They had even explored a little with Skyler and Bob when sharing a room on a somewhat cramped vacation. Jeremy and Bob’s friendship also expanded after they started grad school together. They all decided to share a house and had an enjoyable two years of exploring and partying. It helped them all mature and gain a more profound friendship with each other.

Jeremy later started a new company that provided technology solutions to underfunded schools. It became an instant sensation, and once he completed his MBA, he was entirely suited to be the CEO. He bought some land in California, where he built his business facilities and multiple houses for himself and his employees. He and Kylie ended up living in the development alongside their now lifelong friends Bob and Skyler, who happened to be working on Jeremy’s second startup idea. But that’s a story for another time.