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

The smokers generally were hostile, but they mostly shouted names at him, or broke into his locker and destroyed his stuff. Canning, and by extension Stapleton, were the main problem. And Jayden spent five days a week reminding himself that as long as he passed the scholarship exam, he only had to put up with them for another six months.


“Show me.” Canning snapped his fingers.


When Jayden didn’t move, Canning flicked his cigarette away, stalked across the cold tarmac, and ripped his bag off his shoulder, nearly taking the blazer sleeve with it. “Don’t!” Jayden yelled, grabbing for the strap, and Canning shoved him away so hard he nearly fell.


“You don’t tell me what to fucking do,” he snarled, tugging on the zip as he stalked back to the bins. “If I want to look, I’ll fucking look—and you can fuck off, too.”


Chapter 20