Character Relationship Map: Graduation

Characters

• Polly Deely (played by Shannon Lucio) — protagonist

  High school senior and close friend who proposes robbing her father's bank to raise $100,000 for Carl's mother's surgery. Initially dating Chauncey, she eventually falls in love with Jackson during th...

• Chauncey Boyd (played by Riley Smith) — protagonist

  High school senior and part of the core friend group. He is in a relationship with Polly at the beginning of the story.

• Carl Jenkins (played by Christopher Rodriguez Marquette) — supporting

  High school senior whose mother needs $100,000 for surgery. He joins the bank robbery plan, struggles to find a prom date, and falls in love with bank teller Suzi.

• Tom Jackson (played by Chris Lowell) — supporting

  High school senior and friend who struggles to find direction in life. He becomes the object of Polly's affection as the robbery plot unfolds.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Polly Deely → Tom Jackson (Romantic Interest)
• Polly Deely → Chauncey Boyd (Romantic Dating Partners)

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Carl Jenkins → Chauncey Boyd (Alliance Crew Member)
• Chauncey Boyd → Tom Jackson (Alliance High School Friends)
• Carl Jenkins → Tom Jackson (Alliance High School Friends)
• Carl Jenkins → Polly Deely (Alliance High School Friends)

Story Analysis

High school friends attempt a desperate bank robbery, but romance and a hostage crisis force them to confront adulthood and personal responsibility.

Plot Progression

1. Graduation Before Adulthood — A group of suburban Pittsburgh high school friends prepares for graduation, prom, and uncertain futures. Their relationships and personal concerns establish the emotional foundation.
2. The Desperate Bank Plan — When a friend's mother needs $100,000 for surgery, the group considers robbing her father's bank. Graduation is selected as the intended alibi, and the vault keys become the central obstacle.
3. Romance Disrupts Loyalty — The robbery plan becomes emotionally unstable when one friend falls in love with a bank teller and another develops feelings for a different friend. Romance begins to compete with loyalty and cooperat...
4. The Alibi Collapses — The group proceeds under the cover of graduation, but an unforeseen hostage crisis transforms the planned robbery into a dangerous emergency. Their private motives are tested by immediate danger.
5. Lessons Under Pressure — The hostage crisis reaches its peak and forces the friends to confront the consequences of their choices. The experience leaves them with a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationships.