One-Shot Competition Results

Okay, so. Here we are. Three weeks ago, I set you guys the task of writing one-shots – one part fan fictions based a year after the story took place. The response I got was crazy, and three weeks saw me reading over eighty entries. They were all of such a high standard I wondered how I was ever going to choose. However, after some hours spent agonising over the decision this evening, I’ve made my choice.

Just to warn you, I have a slightly obscene amount of runners up because I literally couldn’t cut this list down any more. All of the runners up here couldn’t go without mentions.

So, without further ado, the results.

In 6th place: likemillionaires

This entry was outstandingly written and almost technically flawless. The description was so detailed and effective I was kind of dumbstruck. A prime example of the high standard of entries I’ve received. You guys should all go read this one.

In 5th place: caseyxo with ‘See You Again’

Another one of my favourites – I absolutely loved the way it balanced the seriousness of the visit to the grave with the humour of the scene afterward. The Flaniel moments were absolutely adorable, and the writing definitely tugged at my heartstrings. A must-read.

In 4th place: VVJohans with ‘Sprinkles’

This entry was one of my favourites because she took a really interesting angle. Written from Collette’s POV, it really captured the details of her family life and I have to say the interaction with Scott was one of the most adorable things ever. I may have fangirled a little (or a lot) at those parts.

(I sense these two are going to be less-than-happy about this ranking, but it had to be done haha)

In joint 3rd place: Defend with ‘Popular’ and starbrightt with ‘Melt’

I know these two have been in fierce competition throughout this entire competition, but I honestly couldn’t find it in myself to choose between them. The Wicked theme of Mariam’s was different, and at first I wondered how it was going to fit in with the story, but she pulled it off exceptionally well, and the relationship between Flo and Collette was adorable. On the other hand, Daven’s take on Jerin was arguably one of the most adorable things I’ve ever read, and I may have read the freezer scene at least three times over. I’m sorry, you two. I couldn’t do it. I’m sure you can find enough niceness in yourselves to share 3rd place comfortably.

In 2nd place: ScriptWriter21 with ‘Home’

Honestly, I had a really tough time picking between this entry and the one in first place. It was so close it was unreal, and the fact that this was the first entry I received (written in under 12 hours) still astounds me. Every aspect of it was perfect: Nora’s character; the scene on the beach; the relationship between Flo and Daniel. The scrapbook idea was utter genius, and the whole thing was so elegantly written it just blew me away. I swear, the gap between first and second this time around is impossibly tiny.

And finally, what you’ve all been waiting for. The winner.

In 1st place, and the winner of the one-shot competition, is Tara (BakedPotato/millionaires), with her entry that doesn’t actually have a specific name.

There are many reasons why I picked this entry to be the winner. Perhaps one of the main ones is that I just thought it captured the characters’ personalities expertly – particularly Jay and Erin. Quite honestly I couldn’t have done a better job writing them myself. The thing is, it’s not perfect, but that’s its charm, and for me it couldn’t have captured the essence of the story any better. I absolutely loved the banter between them all, and I have to say the moment when Flo finally opened the door to let them in made me laugh. I could sit here all night and list reasons why I loved this one-shot so much, but I think it’d be better to let you read it yourself.

So, here we go. Thanks to absolutely EVERYBODY for entering – every single one of those eighty entries was absolutely outstanding. I never expected the standard to be so high. I feel privileged to have such a bunch of talented writers as my fans. Love you guys.

Tara’s one-shot:

            “Wow… summer’s actually here,” I stated in wonder and awe.

            After endless weeks of revision and exams, summer couldn’t have come quicker; however, now that it was actually here, it seemed surreal. I knew it was happening sure, but it didn’t feel like summer. Usually, there was always some sense of freedom that followed the end of the school year, with today being the exception. It hadn’t actually sunk in yet that we could go back to the careless days of doing absolutely nothing but spending time with friends – aside from my job, of course. I was still in what I’d deemed as “school mode”, with my mind flooded with assignments that I knew I’d completed, but still felt like I was doing. It was a strange sensation, and thankfully, Collette had planned a bonfire party tonight that was sure to put a stop to this.

            Exams had been brutal, leaving me little time to sleep throughout the duration of the school year; so naturally, on the first day of summer, I was exhausted. The thought of getting out of bed didn’t appeal to me at all – it only made me want to avoid facing the day ahead. I had planned to lie in bed for the majority of the day, getting up only when it was time for Collette’s party – something which had quickly flown out the window once Jay called me, requesting that we spend the day together.

            The two of us had been struggling with exams, leaving little room to spend time together. We had been looking forward to making up for lost time this summer.

            And this was exactly what Jay used to persuade me after my immediate refusal. “There’s no way I’m getting out of bed right now,” I had told him firmly. “What godforsaken time is this anyway?”

            Chuckling, he’d informed me that it was, in fact, two in the afternoon. “It’s not that early,” he stated, amusement ringing clearly in his voice. “It’s actually pretty late if you look at it.”

            Letting out something akin to a growl, I shoved my head in the pillow. “No. Go away. I don’t want to talk to you. It’s too fucking early for this.”

            Completely disregarding my words, he continued to pester me, until finally, I agreed to spending the day with him – or what was left of it, anyway. And that was how I ended up here: outside the ice cream shop, stuck behind a line which seemed to extend for miles. Clearly, the warm weather outside had managed to lure all the tourists – and a few locals, of course – to the shop. A quick glance inside the window proved that to be correct, as I noticed Flo and Daniel struggling to manage all the orders, most of them coming from large families.

            “Yeah, I can’t believe it either. This year passed by incredibly fast – excluding exams, of course. Those dragged on for-fucking-ever,” Jay answered.

             “Stop whining. It doesn’t really suit you.” I paused. “No, but you’re right. We’re going off to uni though, so we don’t have to worry about this shit anymore.”

            He nodded. “Yeah, but, it’s not going to be the same without you. Who will I have to threaten me into studying?”

            “You’ll have Daniel. He’s your roommate after all. He can probably bother you into studying or something like that.” I let out a small chuckle. “Or maybe he’ll be too busy video-chatting with Flo to even pay attention to you. Good luck with that.”

            “Thank you for your reassurance. You always know how to cheer me up,” Jay responded sarcastically.

            My next words were cut off by the rumbling of thunder. Up ahead, the clouds that had previously been spread out across the expanse of the sky were merging together, forming large, gray clouds that would soon release a myriad of raindrops. Of course; we couldn’t have just one day here with good weather. It just had to go and rain, didn’t it?

            The noise of the approaching storm sent all the tourists in line into panic mode as they shouted a number of things: “What about our stuff on the beach? Who’ll go get it?” “Does anyone know where Fred went?” “We’ve got to get back to our hotel room now.” “Will we still be able to get some ice cream before the storm hits?” “Where did Fred go?”

            “Great, we’ve got a thunderstorm coming up, and we’ve lost our sun,” I complained as I looked up at the sky, noticing the way the sun was hidden by the clump of clouds. “You’ve just gotta love the weather here, don’t you?”

            Jay smirked. “You don’t need sunlight to light up your world; I can do that without fail.”

            “Don’t be an arsehole Jay, just shut up.”

            “You’re always welcome to make me.” His words were accompanied with a suggestive wink, revealing the sexual undertones of his statement.

            I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re such a pervert.”

            “The funny thing, though, is that you happen to love this pervert. Think about that, why don’t you?” He grinned, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. While I normally would have shrugged it off to prove a point, it felt incredibly nice, and I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

            “Whatever,” I said weakly, proving even more that he was right. He didn’t say anything in response, but the victorious grin on his face spoke for him. I’d just inflated his ego. Like it needed any more inflating.

            The two of us made our way towards the back of the shop; if the rain was coming, there was no way we would be caught out with it. Knocking on the back door, we waited for either Flo or Daniel to rescue us from the oncoming storm. No one came, although it apparent they were inside. “Come on, open up Flo, you slag!” I yelled, using my fist to bang on the door. “You better not be ignoring us. I swear to god, if you are, I can promise a painful d—”

            “Hi Erin,” Flo greeted cheerfully, pulling open the door just before I could finish my threat. A smile rested on her face, practically radiating innocence – too much innocence.

            “Were you planning on leaving us out here?” I bluntly asked.

            “What? I… um… Daniel and I were just too caught up with work and we weren’t able to make it back here to open the door. It was just… too busy inside and things were getting kind of… hectic and…”

            “Flo,” I drawled warningly.

            Her façade broke. “Oh, fine! Daniel just thought it’d be cool if we left the two of you out here, and I mean… you guys did lock us in Collette’s basement one day, so I thought that this was the perfect payback plan.”

            “That’s your idea of a master revenge plot? What is wrong with you two? You could have at least attempted to add some more flavour to it, or something. God, you two are pathetic. I—”

            “Maybe I should have just decided to leave you two out here,” Flo interjected.

            “You couldn’t; you’re too nice.” And while I did make it sound like something bad, I was actually glad that Flo had such a kind heart. It was what had helped me so much during the past year; it was what had helped Daniel move past everything; it was what had helped all of us, to be honest. Despite all of us being close in the past, it had been Flo’s arrival that brought us as close as we were now, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

            She shot me a cheeky smile. “You love it though. Don’t you?”

            “I do,” Daniel responded, coming up from behind her, planting a small kiss on her cheek. “It’s a nice change from the constant abuse I have to deal with at home.” He shot a pointed look at me.

            I scoffed. “Like you’re an angel.”

            “Well, I do happen to possess this wonderful thing called politeness. You should try it some time, Erin. It’d do you good… really. I say that from the bottom of my heart,” he said, amused. A grin spread across his face, only bringing out this mischievousness that lay deep in the pit of his hazel eyes. “I know it’d be hard – especially for you, of all people – but I’m sure you can accomplish it.”

            Glowering at him, I growled, “Shut up, you twat.”

            “Oh, is someone getting defensive now?”

            I was about to respond when we were cut off by the sound of someone standing in front of the register. “Um… can I get my ice cream?”

            Gesturing to the hungry customer, I smirked at Daniel. “Well… looks like you’ve got some work to do. Jay and I will just be” – I gestured to a table over in the corner – “over there. Make sure to give me my usual order, and get Jay whatever he wants – strawberry, I think – pronto.”

            “Bossy much?” my brother grumbled under his breath.

            “You know you love me,” I retorted.

            “No, I believe that’s Jay’s job.”

            “Well, I do believe that he does treat me better than you.”

            “You’re just saying that because he’s the only guy who’s willing to snog you.”

            “Make me sound like a whore, why don’t you?”

            He smirked. “Brother’s honour.”

            Ignoring him, I headed to the table tucked away at the very corner of the shop, dragging Jay along with me. The shop was now empty, save for the one customer waiting for their ice cream; apparently, my brother – being the genius he was – had forgotten to switch the sign in the window of the shop to closed. And he teased me about my intelligence.

            “It’s getting pretty bad out,” he said, pointing to the darkness that now hung over Walden, casting a temporary shadow over everything. “I wonder how bad this storm will get.”

            I shrugged. “Looks pretty bad. D’you reckon Collette’s going to cancel the party?”

            “She’ll probably move it indoors or something or—”

            “Thank God you guys are in here,” a familiar voice stated, accompanied with the sound of wet shoes squelching against the floor, and the tinkling of the bell above the door. “Scott and I were just out at the beach, and then it started to drizzle a little bit, so we thought we’d back up and head back to my place, but this storm seems to be moving in pretty fast” – she gestured outside to where it was now pouring – “and it didn’t seem like there was enough time to make it, so we thought we’d see if you guys were here.” Collette let out a breath speaking. “You guys don’t mind if we hang out here, do you?”

            Jay shrugged. “I don’t mind, although I’d appreciate if you two could keep the snogging to a minimum, please.”

            “You and Erin are worse than us, though,” Scott pointed out. “I mean… I get that you two are together and all, but I mean, you guys are just…”

            “Oh, I’m sorry Scott, does this bother you?” I asked, before planting my lips against Jay’s. I’d initially meant for it to be a quick kiss that would make Scott feel uncomfortable, but the minute our lips connected, I lost all resolve to make it swift, quickly losing myself in the kiss. Kissing Jay gave me this feeling that was – to put it simply – indescribable. There was just something about the fact that it was him – the guy I loved – that made it more special.

            “Hey guys, keep it PG,” Daniel said, sounding slightly disgusted. “I don’t want to have that image permanently implanted in my brain.”

            Jay chuckled. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want that happening; you’d get too jealous of the fact that it’s Erin kissing me, not you.”

            “That’s disgusting, man.”

            “You know you want me though. There’s no use denying it; I just have that kind of effect on people. I can’t help it, really.” He paused. “And neither can you. It’s okay, Daniel, just admit it. Let your feelings out; you’ll feel better at the end of the day, honestly.”

            “You’re a basket case, Jay,” Collette replied, dragging a chair over to the table that I was currently inhabiting. However, as she said this, a huge grin was plastered across her face, revealing that she really was enjoying this. She quickly turned her attention to me. “Honestly, how can you put up with someone like this? Please tell me kisses good, because that’s the only reason I can think of for you two being together.”

            I shrugged, acting nonchalant. “He’s not that great, to be honest.”

            “Not that great? What? You must be on drugs or something if you really think that.”

            “Sorry, Jay, but it’s the truth. Your kissing just isn’t doing it for me. Maybe we should just end things between us; if you can’t kiss… what’s the point?”

            He grabbed me and in response started to tickle me, knowing my immense dislike for it. “Stop,” I gasped out between a fit of giggles. “Jay, please.”

            “Not until you say that I’m the best guy you’ve ever kissed,” he threatened.

            “But you’re not.”

            “I do pride myself in being g—wait, what? What do you mean it’s not me? Who is it then? Is it that guy you dated in like, year nine? It better not be that little twerp. I mean, have you seen the guy? He’s a wimp! How could you date him, let alone think that he’s a good kisser? It makes no sense!”

            Holding up my hands, I gestured for Jay to calm down. “I didn’t even say it was him, first off. And second, you’re taking this joke way out of proportion. Like, do you not have a sense of humour or something?”

            “Hey! People tell me I’m very funny!”

            “Your mum doesn’t count,” Collette deadpanned, sending us all into a fit of laughter. It was at this precise moment, as we all stood (or sat, in a few cases) in this shop that this really was it. This was the last summer of making all these carefree jokes with each other. At the end of this summer, we would all be going to different universities next year – with the exception of Jay and Daniel – and we’d be busy, working towards our future. Never could we relive these exact days. However, that didn’t mean this was the end of our friendship. We had grown close enough over time that we’d find a way to make things work – to stick together. There was no way we’d grow apart, not after all we’d been through together.

            Letting out a small sigh, I leaned against Jay, resting my head in the slope of his shoulder. Immediately in response, his arm wound around my waist, holding me close to him. “I’m going to miss all this once summer ends.”

            He nodded, rubbing my back reassuringly. “I know. It’s not going to be the same after this. But no matter what, we’re not going to let that mess with us. We’re too close for university to separate us – any of us.”

            Daniel nodded. “Yeah… I can’t imagine not talking to you guys anymore. You guys are all my family.”

            We all agreed with that statement; we all were family. Through all the ups and downs we’ve faced – and trust me, there were many – we still stuck together. And it was strange because it was in a town that seemed so dull and boring – completely uninteresting – we had managed to find one of the rarest things: family.