Disclaimer: I do not own Baby-Sitters Club or any of its characters.
Author's Note: This is kind of AU of the last few books of the series and the other book series that was about this because I didn't really read any of them. Like, Abby will not appear in this story.

Chapter One

Dawn

Graduation is supposed to be the culmination of everything in high school. It is supposed to signify the beginning of the rest of our lives. I was dressed in the gown, with my cap already on, blonde hair flowing out from underneath it. To me it signified the end of the time I had with my friends. When I had moved back from California my freshmen year of high school, I thought things were going to be the same. They hadn't been, we had all drifted apart, but I was still close friends with all of them. Now, however, five of us were going to colleges mainly around New England, except for me, who was going to college clear across the coast. Mary Anne was going to Colombia to study journalism, Stacey to NYU with a major in math, Claudia and Kristy were both going to the University of Connecticut, art and early childhood education specialties, respectively, and I was going to UCLA to study environmental science. I still felt as strongly about the environment as I always had and was ready to make as much change as I could. Jessi and Mallory, of course, still had two years left in this place, but both had big plans after they graduated. Mallory wanted to go to Europe and Jessi wanted to go to Julliard for her dancing abilities.

But, I did get one final summer with two members of the group. Two members of the group that I wasn't particularly as close with since I had gotten back, but it was going to be a fun summer. We had been secretly planning it and tomorrow morning our plan was going into action.

"Have you seen Logan?" Mary Anne asked me, biting her lip as she looked around for him. I did not understand why she always broke up with him and then insisted on making sure he was okay. I knew it was part of her nature to look after him, but I'm sure that made things worse for him in the end.

I shook my head. The back of the auditorium was pandemonium. Every graduating senior was back here, I hadn't even had the chance to touch base with any of the other former BSC members. I knew Jessi and Mallory were somewhere out in the audience and that Stacy, Claudia, and Kristy were somewhere around me, I just couldn't see them. Mary Anne nodded at me before walking off to find Logan. I then saw Logan sitting by himself, off to the side. The rest of us were greeting each other and laughing and wishing each other good luck. I quietly made my way over to him.

I really did not know my reasoning to go and see him. If it was hard on him to see Mary Anne, it should be almost as hard to see Mary Anne's sister. But, something about the look on his face couldn't keep me away.

"Hey Logan," I unceremoniously greeted him, trying to come up with a conversation topic, "I hear you got a scholarship from the University."

"Yeah," he said, sounding a little flat, his usual accent coming through his voice, "But, your sister broke up with me."

"That just means you can date whoever you want at college," I tried to look at it optimistically, knowing that I was probably only hurting him worse by saying the stupid things that came out of my mouth, "You don't want to do the whole long distance thing anyways."

Logan did not respond, and I knew that he felt as awkward as I did at me trying to make conversation with him. My sister had told me that he was not doing anything over the summer and she felt as if it was 

going to be a bad thing because he could spend time dwelling on their relationship. I knew that she must be right because he already looked like he was dwelling on it. Before I could really figure out what I was doing, I blurted out something.

"Logan, you should come with Kristy, Claudia, and me on a road trip," the words came out before I could stop them. Logan looked up at me, somewhat amused, but also somewhat hopeful. I wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to go or because he was just happy for somebody to offer him plans for the summer, "You don't want to stay here all summer with everything that … anyways, you should come."

"I don't think I can," Logan frowned, "Me with three girls alone for a whole summer? Three girls who are best friends with the girl that just broke my heart?"

"You can bring a friend," I added helpfully. Before he could continue to object, Claudia and Kristy appeared at my side. Claudia was wearing her gown in a very artsy fashion. She had added beads to the tassel on her head and had made her gown multi-colored. I did not even want to think about the way the principle and the adults were going to react to this. Kristy, however, looked like a normal graduate with her gown and cap, but I knew that she had jeans with her so that she could change into them before the graduation party.

"Come on, Stace and Mary Anne are waiting for us," Claudia said. I gave Logan a half-wave and followed them to the center of the room, finally spotting the last member of the graduating Baby-sitters Club. I felt the urge to tell Kristy and Claudia about inviting Logan, but he did not seem to want to come anyways, so I figured it was better not to mention it. Especially in front of Stacey and Mary Anne, neither of which had any idea of what our summer plans were. Stacey had not zipped up her gown yet and she was wearing her usual fashionable dress, a dress that was very low cut and a slimming black color. Well, she really did not need a slimming dress, she was as thin as she had been in middle school and all through-out high school. I suddenly got a smile on my face as I thought about what she would do if she gained the freshmen fifteen. Mary Anne was standing next to her, looking prim and proper, much the opposite of Stacey's casual stance. This was also enhanced by the gold salutatorian sash that she was wearing.

"Let's take a picture," Kristy said excitedly as she grabbed her digital camera from her sleeve. I smiled as the five of us posed as Trevor Sandbourne took the picture, knowing that we would take a picture later with our two non-graduating friends. I could not believe that the seven of us had remained friends for so long.

99999

"Logan Bruno," the principal called. I saw Logan walk across the stage, a dejected walk. My sense of everybody should have their own independence was making me annoyed at him while still feeling sorry for him, because he had a great opportunity in his future, and with all the times Mary Anne had broken up with him, something told me he should have expected it at least somewhat. I turned around and looked at Mary Anne, who was sitting in the row behind me, and she looked very sad at the way her ex-boyfriend was acting. I knew that it was hard for her to break up with him, this time with a finality that none of the previous times had had.

"Claudia Kishi," the principal said a few names later. Claudia's confident stride crossed the stage, the principal rolling his eyes at the way that she was dressed, but not saying anything as he handed her the diploma. It had taken her a lot to get here, and I knew that the principal was as happy for her as the rest of us were.



Stacey came next after a few names, holding the same confidence gait that she always had. Her high grades in math had helped her raise her GPA enough to get a great scholarship, not to mention the fact that it had helped her make a great SAT score. Finally, the principal was about to call my name, and I was sitting there, ready to graduate.

"Dawn Schafer," the principal announced. As I strolled across stage, I turned around and smiled at my mom and Richard. I then spotted my brother and dad, who had flown in so that they could see me graduate. I suddenly felt as if it really was the culmination of my life so far.

The road trip tomorrow would be a way to start the rest of my life on a good note.