AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for clicking onto my story! I figured since 'Acting the Part' was almost finished, I should start another story. And after a lot of plotting and that stuff, this story was created. Hope you all enjoy!

I'm really proud of the idea for the plot, as it wasn't easy to think of. The song 'Flashback' by Akiakane was played on repeat while I wrote this. Please forgive me if I didn't type that right. Haha.

Special thanks to my friend TheAbelo2 for reading this and encouraging me to post it. Thanks man, you're the best.

And for the rest of you, please enjoy.

Deal With the Devil

"So where do you want to eat lunch today? The cafeteria's so blah." Anna Mason screwed up her pretty face in a grimace. "We could eat outside; I mean if I ever want to be as tan as you, I'm going need to get as much sun as possible."

"You do know the sun isn't that healthy for you right?" Drew Milton, or 'Daffy' as his mom so valiantly dubbed him, reminded, focusing his dark brown eyes on his free-spirited, but mostly insane best friend.

Anna shrugged, watching as Daffy, for the hundredth time that day, rearranged the items in his locker. "I don't care, everything and anything is going to kill me one way or another. Might as well live it up while I'm still living." She gave him one of those grins that flashed her pearly white teeth and Daffy couldn't help but smile back.

"Live fast, die young, huh? So original." He rolled his eyes tenderly at her and in retaliation; she gave him a loving punch on the arm. "So, outside it is?" She asked, raising a blonde eyebrow.

Daffy laughed, rubbing his arm. "If you promise not to punch me again, then we'll eat wherever you want."

Anna smiled. "Good."

She watched him fiddle some more with the things in his locker for a few more minutes, before inevitably getting bored and letting out a great sigh. "Why do I come early to school anyways? There's nothing to do but wait for the bell to ring."

Daffy paused what he was doing to adjust his glasses. "You come to school early because I come to school early, and we do everything together."

Anna nodded and her green eyes sparked with renewed understanding, though she asked the same question often and the answer was always the same. "Right, now I remember. So how's tutoring going? Louise still giving you trouble? "

Daffy shut his locker and gave his best friend a grimace of his own. "Louise doesn't like to be wrong, and if you try to correct her, well you better be prepared for a long night." He informed, thinking back to all the nights spent volunteering to help the rambunctious thirteen year old.

"Why don't you just tutor another student?"

"Because Louise's mother is friends with my mom, and sure Louise is a little spoiled and a little difficult, but I think we're making progress." Daffy insisted.

Anna wasn't buying it. "Yeah, sure."

Daffy glared at her, but it held no steam. He was about to ask her a question about their Geometry homework when he noticed that she was no longer paying attention to him. Her concentration was instead focused behind him. He didn't need to turn around to see what she was staring at, or gawking really, to know that it was Ace Chandler.

Brett 'Ace' Chandler, one-half of the Chandler twins, was Anna's biggest weakness. For as long as Daffy could remember, Anna had liked the jock and her affections grew stronger with age. It wasn't a total tragic love story, as unrequited as it seemed. Daffy supposed that there could be worse love stories. And Ace wasn't a bad choice on Anna's part; known as the 'Angel', he was sweet, athletic, smart and a hard worker. Nothing compared to his brother, the 'Devil', Bryce 'Bugs' Chandler, who frequently skipped classes, never participated in anything productive, except his garage band and was a general nuisance to everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him. Still, they had most of the school bowing down to their every whim. It helped that their father was a lawyer and their mother was a doctor, especially when it meant they were too rich for their own good. What they were doing at frumpy Shadow Oaks High instead of a top private school, Daffy had no idea.

"Hey Anna," Ace rumbled behind him, making Daffy jump; that was strange, Ace Chandler had never said a word to them before, and since when did he know Anna's name?

Daffy turned around and had to raise his head to look the taller man in the eye. He was met with a pair of bright blue eyes that gleamed as their owner smiled at him in greeting. That was another thing that helped the Chandler twins get by; they were both impossibly gorgeous to the point where it seemed that they were carved out of marble. Many often said their faces should be worshipped by indigenous people and Daffy didn't think it was too far off to speculate that maybe, in another life, they probably were.

"Hey…Drew is it?" Ace greeted, extending a hand out for Daffy to shake. Daffy out of politeness, did. But he wasn't so sure what Ace Chandler was trying to get from this...encounter. Sure, Daffy supported Anna's pursuit of getting a Chandler twin, it was an impossible dream, but he supported her, still that didn't mean he wanted to be a part of it. The Chandler twins, although well liked, were the moon in their metaphorical sky, while they and almost everyone in the school, were the stars. The twins were simply way out of their league. Besides, Daffy had watched too many movies to know that people like them were always trouble.

"You can call me Daffy, what's up Ace?" Daffy struggled to keep the suspicion out of his voice.

"Can I—uh, talk to you in private?" For a second, and Daffy was definitely questioning his sanity at this point—maybe Anna was right, it was definitely too early to come to school—it seemed that Ace was nervous.

Daffy tried not to let his jaw drop. He turned to Anna who was staring at Ace as if he suddenly grew two heads. "Um, sure?" Daffy uttered, blushing furiously and praying to the gods of nerddom to help him survive this. With one last glance at his still shell-shocked best friend, Daffy followed Ace to the boys' bathroom.

It was weird, that was for sure, being in the same room, breathing the same air as a Chandler. Daffy knew where he belonged on the food chain, and it was way below the twins. He half expected the other teen to attack him or something, mainly because the thought of Ace actually talking to him was way more unbelievable. Plus, Daffy saw the looks of envy on the faces of the other students as he walked with Ace, and frankly, the attention was frightening.

"So…" Ace began, breaking Daffy out of his unhelpful thoughts. They were the only ones in the bathroom as it was still too early for the normal rush. Daffy was both grateful and annoyed about this, as there was no one to call for help if Ace really did decide to attack him.

"Um, you wanted to talk to me?" Daffy asked, hoping to just get it over and done with.

"Yeah, I hear you tutor."

Daffy blinked in astonishment. a) He was expecting a punch to the face and b) he didn't know that Ace knew anything about him. Boy, today was just full of surprises.

"I-I do." Daffy confirmed.

"That's awesome man!" Ace praised, patting him on the back. Daffy smiled, still nervous, but anxiety somehow lessening by the other teen's cheerful attitude. "Thanks."

"I need you to do me a favor. No, I'm not going to ask you to do my homework." The blue-eyed teen smiled, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. "It's my brother. He uh, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but he's failing a couple of his classes and he refuses to get help or be tutored by anyone, except you."

Now Daffy knew this was a set up or some practical joke and he wasn't laughing. "Wow, very funny Ace. I thought you were supposed to be the good one." Daffy turned to walk away when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"No man, I'm serious." And the desperation in his voice was enough to make Daffy halt in place.

"My brother could potentially get kicked out of this school if he doesn't get his grades up and I don't want that for him. I know the only way he can get better is if he accepts tutoring, but he won't even let me help him. Says you're the only one he wants." Ace raked a nervous hand through his starlight-silver hair.

Daffy balked at the Chandler twin. "But why me? I don't even know him!"

Ace shook his head. "He's in your Government class."

Daffy fought to remember and when he did, he was even more confused. "You mean the class he's only come to once? And I repeat, why me? There are like a billion nerds in this school, why would Bugs want me to tutor him?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're cute." A voice resounded from behind him and when Daffy turned around; it was almost like staring at a mirror image of Ace, if Ace had piercings and traded in his letterman for a leather jacket and black band tee.

Standing before him was Bugs, studying Daffy the way a hawk studied his prey while Daffy simply glared at him. "I don't think I can—"

"We'll make it worth your while." Bugs offered, stepping closer so he could almost tower over Daffy.

"Oh come on Bugs, if he doesn't want to do it, you can't force him." Ace chimed in, before Bugs fixed him with his cold gaze and Ace, reluctantly shut up.

"What could you possibly offer that would make me say yes?" Daffy inquired, genuinely curious.

"Well," Bugs began, flashing a mischievous smirk at his brother, "as an official Chandler tutor, you're welcome in our circle. Which means you get to come to any party we throw, you get special treatment from the other students and you move up a notch on the hierarchy. What's not to love about that?"

Daffy rolled his eyes. "I could think of a million things—"

"Did I mention, you get to share all this with a plus one?" Bugs interrupted.

Daffy immediately thought of Anna, how much she'd die just to be this close to Ace. He didn't want any part of the Chandler twins; after all, they just had to be trouble. But he thought of Anna and how she'd never really get an opportunity like this again and he found himself about to make a deal with the devil.

"But there is one condition," Bugs put a finger in the air. "you have to go out with me at least once."

Daffy frowned. "Absolutely not!"

"Come on, I'm not such a bad guy." Bugs smirked. It wasn't a secret that Bugs was gay, but seeing that the rowdy Chandler twin rarely dated and then finding out that he was interested in him, was a little shocking to say the least.

"You don't have to agree to that." Ace spoke, placing a hand on Daffy's shoulder. The gesture was meant to comfort him, to make him relax, but at the icy glare Bugs gave his brother, Ace removed his hand quickly.

"But I'm already tutoring someone." Daffy added meekly. Even to his own ears, the excuse sounded feeble.

"Believe me Daffy, Bugs needs you more." Ace laughed, poking good hearted fun at his brother. Daffy half-expected Bugs to look angry, but instead he seemed amused.

"Whatever they're paying you, I'll double it." Bugs offered, ice blue eyes intensely focused on him.

Louise's parents weren't paying him anything and he preferred it that way; it kept things simpler. Besides, he liked doing this on his own volition, it made him feel better about himself. Sure, he needed the money, but he planned to be a pool boy next summer and he could wait until then. And just how cheap did they expect him to be? He wasn't so eager to sell his soul to the 'Devil' Chandler if it meant he'd have to give up a piece of his dignity as well. "I can't take money from you." He declared, raising his head high.

To his surprise, Bugs grinned. Like his brother, he had one of those smiles that could melt the polar ice caps. It took Daffy a few seconds to stop being dazzled.

Ace gave his brother a slightly disappointed look. "We've laid all our cards on the table and he still doesn't want to do it. I'm sorry Bugs, but you're just going to have to choose someone else."

"I'm sorry," Daffy apologized to both of them, "but look on the bright side; we probably wouldn't be a good match as tutor and student."

Bugs looked surprised and strangely…proud. He exchanged glances with his brother. "See, I told you he'd be a good one."

Daffy turned to look at Ace, who nodded. "You were right." Then he turned to the brown eyed teen. "Congratulations, you're probably the first person to deny a Chandler something. You got spunk kid." And he winked at Daffy.

If Daffy was confused before, he was even more confused now. "E-excuse me?"

"Being rebuffed isn't something that happens to us often, but I have to admit, it's refreshing when it does." Ace confessed, taking Daffy's elbow and moving to escort him out of the bathroom.

Bugs stopped them, "I respect that. See you in Government." Bugs winked and Daffy tried not to contemplate on why he felt suddenly bad. Wasn't he dodging a bullet by not working with the 'bad' Chandler twin? Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was denying someone in need. No matter how ridiculous Bugs' demands were, if he was desperate enough to ask, he was desperate enough for help. And yet, Daffy figured it was probably being in the Chandlers' presence that was making it harder to stick with his decision. Giving Bugs a nod, he allowed Ace to escort him out of the bathroom.

As expected, Bugs didn't show up for Government class. Daffy didn't know why he cared enough to notice and it irked him a little that he let a Chandler be in any fraction of his thoughts, so getting out his notes and textbook he proceeded to forget all about the Chandler boys and focus on his work.

Only that proved quite a feat as he thought about Ace's words: he refuses to get help or be tutored by anyone, except you… Daffy was a straight A student, maybe Bugs knew that and wanted his help or maybe Bugs was just insane. It wasn't like he could actually be attracted to Daffy, after all, Daffy wasn't anywhere near Chandler standards. Not that he cared; he was just trying to make sense of things.

The lunch bell rang, signaling that Government class was over and that Daffy hadn't been paying attention through any of it. Annoyed, he packed his bag and left to go look for Anna.

He was halfway to Anna's Biology lab when someone tapped him on the back, making him turn around and wish he hadn't. Eris Allen, his long time admirer (read: crazy stalker), was shaking her bleached blonde head at him. "Daffy, I thought you knew better than to walk down Hallway A. Don't you know the wolves could descend?"

Daffy frowned at her and was about to tell her that he was, in fact, in Hallway B, when he looked around and noticed that the lockers weren't their usual purple. He must have been so distracted that he took the wrong way to Anna's class. And now he had to face Eris…

"Look Eris, can you make this quick? I don't really have the time right n—"

But she cut him off by leaning up extra close to his face. "You've been ignoring my calls." She sounded hurt.

"Yeah, well, I've been busy studying. Besides, you live like five blocks away, and we go to school together, how much more do you need?" Daffy asked, annoyed. Eris Allen was a very difficult human being and right now, he had enough of that for one day.

"I can think of a few things." She arched her eyebrows suggestively. Daffy stared at her, unimpressed.

"If you call me again, I'll change my number." He warned and was about to push past her when she pulled him back.

"You're mean, but I like it."

"Hey!" Someone called and everyone including Eris and the students around him, stopped at the sound of the person's voice. Please be Anna, please be Anna, Daffy hoped, desperately wishing for the speaker to be his best friend coming to pull him out of an Evil Eris situation.

Instead, the universe wasn't on his side and when he looked up, he saw Bugs coming to his rescue. "Get your hands off Chandler property."

Eris released him immediately, before somehow gaining some nerve and asked Bugs. "Since when does he have anything to do with you Chandlers?"

"Since he agreed to be my new tutor." Bugs said defiantly.

Eris turned big, hurt blue eyes on him. "Daffy, you and Bugs Chandler are working together? Is that why you've been so busy?"

Bugs came up to wrap an arm around the confused out of his mind teen's shoulder. "Yep, we've been very busy…studying. Am I right Daffy?"

Daffy who finally understood what was happening, nodded his head almost frantically. "Yep, I'm Bugs' tutor."

"And none of you goons can mess with him." Bugs decreed, giving a warning glare to their peers who had all stopped their actions and were paying them with undivided attention. "That includes you Evelyn."

"It's Eris."

"Whatever." He tightened his hold around Daffy who tried to remain calm and act like everything was normal.

"So when were you going to tell me this, Daffy? That you had Chandler immunity?" She inquired, looking offended.

"Um—uh—" Daffy stammered.

"I told him to keep it a secret. Wasn't too proud to admit I needed a tutor. But Daffy here made me a changed man." Bugs rubbed his shoulder, giving Daffy a signature Chandler smile.

All Daffy managed to do was blush.

"See you later Heather," Bugs winked at her, before carrying Daffy along with him.

From behind them, they could hear an angry shout. "It's Eris!"

"Y-you know, I'm grateful you got me out of there, but I haven't sold my soul just yet. But I owe you one." Daffy uttered, trying not to focus on the surprised faces passing them by.

Bugs managed to shrug while still having his arm wrapped around Daffy. "Tutor me and you won't have to worry about it."

"Fine." Daffy sighed, feeling as if it wasn't such a hard bargain after Bugs was kind and crazy enough to save his butt back there.

The Chandler twin stopped walking and gaped at Daffy, before schooling his expression back into one of cool confidence. "What?"

"I'll do it. I'll tutor you." Daffy said, daring to look the other teen in the eye.

Bugs extended a hand and smirked. "You're going to make a deal with the 'devil'?"

"I'd be a fool not to."

They shook hands then and Daffy tried to ignore the electricity coursing through his fingertips at the contact. "Then congratulations, you've just signed up for the ride of your life."

Daffy couldn't help but smile back. "I would consider you more of a crossroads demon, than a devil you know?"

Bugs raised a grey eyebrow. "Just wait till you get to know me."

As Daffy peered up into those crystal eyes, he couldn't help but feel somehow safer. He knew that when he had time to think about it he'd be kicking himself, and yet he found himself not really caring that much.

When he and Bugs finally parted ways and he was left to find Anna, he couldn't help but think that the Chandler twins, though markedly different, were quite the anomaly.

A/N: So to anyone wondering, this is set in a high school. I'm not sure where yet, but I'll be sure to think of it soon.

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!