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

And okay he was still kind of rude and kind of blunt, but…


“Are you ready for the play?” he asked instead.


Darren grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”


It opened Friday night, and Jayden was looking forward to it. He always watched the opening nights, because they were the rawest and best performances for learning where he needed to adjust the script for next time. Darren didn’t seem so keen.


“Yeah and never again,” Darren returned. “I don’t do acting.”


“Why not? You’re good at it. Well, snarky acting,” Jayden allowed. It was the only thing the role called for beyond improvised string music.


“I don’t do standing up in front of hundreds of people and getting stared at,” Darren said flatly.


“…You’re in an orchestra. You’ve done recitals.”


“And nobody gives two shits about you when you’re playing,” Darren pointed out. “It’s about the music, not the musician. Acting? People are watching. Friday? They will be watching me. And I get stage fright.”


Chapter 35