Author's Note: Woo! Three chapter out before I leave for vacation! Thank you to my bestie for keeping me company while writing these last couple of chapters! You. Are. Amazing! I lover you! As Always, Read/Enjoy/Review!

Chapter Three: Just My Luck

" Sometimes I have to wonder if destiny has some sick perception of humor, or if it just hates me…"-Anonymous.

Jared's POV

Life cant get much better than this. It really cant. My beautiful, naked, hot girlfriend is curled up next to me sound asleep, I'm on a mini vacation from a tour I love, nothing could make this any better.

I lied. This situation would be a million times better if Brae would stop making so much noise. Turn down the music and whatever else she is doing and sleep like any other normal human being.

Then again this is Brae I'm talking about.

I cant help but smile though, remembering the way she handled the whole roommate thing. It was simple.

" Its simple Tate and Carson in one room, since Jared's here Mark can room with me, and Jared and Evy in the last room."

" I'm not sharing a room with Chase," Tyson speaks up for the first time since Brae exploded.

" Your right, your not. Chase gets the pull out in the living room, and you get the garage, the non-heated garage apartment. Enjoy."

For someone so timid and calm she sure knows how to drive her point home, and ruthlessly. With a groan I unwrap Evy's arm from me and quietly I swoop down and pick up my crumpled jeans from the bedroom floor leaving the button undone as I go see what in the hell has my pseudo sister awake at three in the morning.

Brae's POV

The idea hit me. A freight train of an idea really that left me breathless for just a second before I hopped up from bed and decided to put my idea to work.

Work is exactly what I'm doing, three hours worth of it and I sit back on my knee's pulling my hair over onto one shoulder as I smile at what I've done so far.

" What in the world are you doing?" A slightly annoyed voice asks from my doorway and I pop my head up, my lips spreading into a grin when I see Jared leaning against the door jam his arms crossed.

" Making shirts."

" Making shirts? At three in the morning. Why?" he asks coming closer and I shrug my shoulders.

" You know how when bands want to be promoted, and they make shirts to get their name's out there?" I ask hunching back over a shirt.

" Yeah…I'm still not following you," he says coming to sit next to me.

" Maybe the band shirt example wasn't the right one to use. Hmm, how can I explain this. Oh I know. You know campaign shirts? Whether its for Breast Cancer Awareness, or hell Don't Hate On Haiti? Well this is my campaign. My birthday campaign."

" Uhm okay, lets see what it says. Just say No… Just say no to what?" he asks at length and I chuckle darkly, pointing to the back of another shirt.

" Just Say No….To Tyson. Wow. That's a little harsh."

" Want to help?" I ask and he looks at me a slow smile forming on his lips.

" Hell yes I do."

XXX

I breeze into the kitchen, smiling when the mixed conversations stop as I come in.

" Good morning birthday girl!" Tate cheers happily getting up from the table to wrap me in a tight hug.

" Good morning Tate, and thank you. Now I have a request, a birthday girl request, of all of you. Well, almost all of you," I say catching Tyson's eye for only a second.

" Well, since you are the birthday girl, I suppose we all have to agree to it, whatever it may be," Mark says eyeing the shirts that lay folded over my arm.

" I'm glad to hear that. I made one of these shirts for each of you. It's my Birthday Weekend Campaign Shirt," I say lightly bumping my hip against Jared's as I walk by him.

" I, I didn't get one," Tyson says and I nod my head keeping my back to him.

" I know."

" Just Say No…To Tyson…oh Brae…" Evangeline giggles despite the uncomfortable look on her face.

" What? I'm just saying it as a statement to all of you. I don't want anyone," I say being sure to look at Tyson this time, really look at him, " To get the wrong idea because of this, predicament. I am in no way a willing participant. And if you all care about me, you'll put on the shirt and wear it."

" Of course Chase is the first one with his on," Tyson grumbles and I look over at Chase, who is in fact wearing the shirt I handed him.

" Sorry, but I never liked you anyway, nothing personal," Chase says, " You just, rub me the wrong way."

XXX

Snow ball fight, snow fort building, hot cocoa, and now a beautifully cooked meal by my best friend and "brother's" all except for Chase and Tyson of course, and this girl couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

Especially when I find everyone sitting around the dinner table, in candle light, still wearing their "Just Say No" shirts.

All except Tyson.

And I start to feel just a little bad. Then again it would have really been in poor taste if I made him a shirt that goes against himself.

Oh well.

I push all those thoughts out of my mind as I sit, wedged between Chase and Carson and smile as the conversation picks up and everyone seems happy.

" I think its present time," Evangeline announces once the dinner dishes are cleared from the table and I clap my hands excitedly knowing that I look like a complete child doing so, but I cant help myself.

It's not everyday I turn twenty five.

" Okay, so I want my gift to go first," Evangeline says and I grin when she hands me a large box. It has a little weight to it, but doesn't give anything away. I tear at the shiny pink paper, pulling the top off and I sit back in confusion.

" Scrubs, but I don't even know if I got into the program or not," I say looking up at Evangeline, slightly worried when I see her eyes welling with tears.

" You did. This came for you, a week ago. I'm sorry I kept it a secret, but I just wanted to surprise you," she says handing me a large envelope with the SDSU emblem on the front, " Mom and Dad would be so proud of you."

" I got in," I whisper pulling the acceptance letter out, staring unblinkingly at the paper through tear blurred eyes, " I got in."

" You got in," Chase whispers pressing his lips to my hair and I cant help but bury my face in my hands and cry.

It takes me twenty minutes to compose myself after Evangeline's gift, and many more sniffles through opening everyone's gifts. All of them beautiful, and more than I expected. Carson and Tate went in on the newest photo editing software for me. Mark giving me the most beautiful teal cashmere sweater I've ever seen in my life. Jared, giving me a box, as in a moving box full of Starbursts, my favorite candy.

Chase. Chase's was the most surprising. A silver locket with pictures of my parents and my Aunt and Uncle in it. I felt the tears raise again as I blinked my eyes and tried opening my mouth to thank him.

" Chase," I whisper finally finding my voice again.

" Shh, let me put it on," he says smiling as I turn and lift my hair letting him slide the locket around my neck.

" I cant thank all of you enough," I say and I just shake my head and get up, " I need a minute. Just a minute."

XXX

I splash cool water over my face trying to regain some amount of composure and when I look at myself seeing that my face is almost completely splotch free I deem myself under control.

I open the bathroom door and find Tyson standing just on the other side.

" I didn't get to give you my gift," Tyson says and I shuffle my feet nervously.

" Tyson, you didn't have to," I murmur and he just smiles and shakes his head.

" I got it a while ago actually, and well. You deserve it," he says, handing me the wrapped gift and I stare at it for a long moment before finally bringing myself to tear the paper open.

There, laying on a bed of tissue is a Nikon FM10. The same camera my parents bought me as a gift for my seventeenth birthday, the last gift I ever got from them. The camera that got ruined when I got swept away in the flash flood in Haiti.

" Oh, Ty," I whisper, looking up at him, and he gives a small shrug, a crooked smile on his lips.

" I know how much that camera meant to you Brae," he says and I nod my head unable to speak.

I have done nothing but be a horrible person to Tyson since I found him here. I've been mean, and childish, and stupid, and he's taken it. Every bit of it.

I. Suck.

" Happy Birthday Brae," he says pressing a soft kiss to my cheek, his lips lingering and before I can stop him his lips capture mine and I'm thrown into a whole new world of confusion.

Just. My. Luck.