Out-and-regretting-it comprehensive attendee Jayden Phillips turns his cast-iron plans for life upside-down by falling in love with private-school violinist Darren Peace, a sardonic boy with the craziest hair Jayden's ever seen.<br><br>But all is not what it seems, and Jayden's bullying problem becomes meaningless when he is confronted with what the music does to Darren. How do you stop a dangerous depression rooted in the same thing that makes someone what they are? Dark moods, blank apathy, and the undertow of self-loathing all simmer beneath Darren's dry and beautiful veneer, and Jayden feels powerless to stop them.<br><br>Then a mugging gone wrong takes the music forcibly away, and Jayden is finally given the chance to change Darren's life -- and, quite literally, his mind.

Vivaldi in the Dark

“Right.” Charley turned on him and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek when she dropped back. “I’ll see you in maths. Remember! This is our year.”


Jayden rolled his eyes at her and let her go.


The Brightside Theatre was a small, almost timid construction on the north edge of the town centre, a fifteen-minute bus ride from school, or a thirty-minute walk in this September mildness. It had two theatre halls, a small lobby, and a cafe that was barely ever open. It had been a project by the council five years ago to bring more culture to town, and Mum’s amateur dramatics group (the horrifically named Stars) had promptly moved in for rehearsals and, three times a year, performances.


Chapter 3