Twenty day challenge.

Day Twenty

*Unedited* Last Chapter, can you believe it?

Day Twenty.

The rest of the evening was a blur, a blur of events, a whirlwind of good times, things that would soon be memories; things that I would never forget, the song 'I've had the time of my life' seemed somewhat appropriate for my current mood, I was on a cloud and I never wanted to fall down, even though I knew that one day my mood would sink; that was inevitable.

I recorded all the events in my diary, there was no way on Earth I would allow myself to forget it, and I doubted Finch would be able to forget ever. Some people say that finding love is the most important part of your life; I disagree with that, finding love may be important but friendship was far more important; it was so important it was off the scale.

I woke up the next day in a cheery mood and for once I wasn't influenced by the many quirks of Georgie who broke into a whole new scale of optimism. "Hey mum, hi dad, morning Sophie," I rattled off as I bounded down the stairs faster than the speed of light. I had forgotten all my previous worries about the nearing exams, I felt infinite, and I was infinite, well at least for that moment anyway.

Both my parents replied to me but I still noticed the odd expressions that were present on their face, Sophie's head appeared from the corner of the door, I saw my sister with her grumpy expression that mirrored a person who was in desperate need of caffeine, and her bed hair.

"Go away Ivy, it's too early," she moaned but I didn't care, my mood was so happy, joyous and jubilant that the other pessimistic side of me was getting slightly scared as I was showering everyone with optimism, sadly what goes up must go down, I inwardly thought to myself but I reminded myself not to let myself think negative thoughts.

When I got to the park in a few hours' time Jennifer was there with Georgie, Jennifer had apparently forgiven Leanne and Alisha; well at least she was tolerating their presence which was a start; everyone relationship takes time after all. Finch and Rory were also there as was Sophie whose mood had steadily improved this that morning when she looked as if she might throw a hairbrush at me.

"Hello," I said smiling at them all in turn, honestly where would I be if it wasn't for these people? Rory, Georgie, Jen, Sophie and Finch because of them I had been changed for the better, because I knew them I had been changed for good to quote one of my favourite songs from Wicked; 'For good'.

They all look taken aback by my cheeriness; and I can't say that I blame them, I was partly scaring myself too with the thousands of layers of optimism that I had now discovered.

"There is one challenge yet," Finch said with a note of sadness in his tone, and he wiped a tear from his eye dramatically making me stifle a giggle.

"What is it?" I said, it seemed strange that he was just jumping into the final challenge without prolonging it with a riddle, I could see Georgie and the others watching us, the challenges weren't just our secret anymore either, but I didn't mind as much as I initially thought I would. Perhaps they had helped him organise some of the challenges with me being completely oblivious to it.

"Just be yourself, don't let anyone change who you are," Finch said smiling with a note of finality in his tone, this isn't a challenge as such, unlike the other challenges there isn't really an instruction or a command there is just a piece of advice, guidance that I should follow.

"Oh," I said and you could hear a penny drop as silence dawned between us, this challenge wouldn't be completed over the course of one day unlike the others, this challenge would take time, but what this meant was the twenty day challenge was now over. "Right," I mumbled less enthusiastically, knowing that this was the end of the best twenty days I had ever experienced.

For some reason Rory choose that precise moment to chip in with a badly delivered joke, "why did the cucumber laugh?" He asked, waiting for someone to take pity on him and reply.

Georgie did which was hardly surprising really; or maybe she just didn't want him to embarrass himself which he was likely to do anyway, "I don't know why did the cucumber laugh?" She asked.

For some reason Georgie's question sends Rory into fits of laughter, and he struggled to get the punch-line of his joke out, "Because..." He began before pausing and breaking out into new fits of laughter, "because.... He saw the salad dressing..." he finished with a note of triumph in his tone, this sends us all into hysterical laughter partly because the rubbish delivery had made it seem even more funny, Rory looked pleased at himself, and I had to hand it to him that he was excellent at breaking awkward tension.

We laughed and laughed, the twenty day challenges may have ended, but our friendship wouldn't, it was exceedingly weird to think how I despised the twenty day challenge when Finch first announced it, it had changed my life, in more ways than you could possible imagine. "That was a good joke," Jen told Rory with a genuine smile adjacent on her face.

Rory blushed looking even more pleased than he had before if that was even possible; "thank you," he mumbled before looking at the floor, "I might have to brush up on my delivery though..." he said his voice barely audible. "I want to thank you all you've been such great friends; Ivy, Jen, Sophie, Georgie and Finch, thank you," he said sincerely nodding at us all in various directions.

I turned my attention to Finch his face a perfect image of someone who's deep in thought. "This is where our story ends, and a new one begins," Finch said smiling, I felt like I was closing a book and selecting a new one from the shelf, this was the end, the fairy-tale ending that I had always dreamed of as a kid, but this time I was proud to call this ending mine.

I suppose the last chapter was the last proper challenge but I like the ending :P and I didn't want to make it too long.... Time to mark this story with a green tick!

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