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

“You don’t need luck,” Jayden said, but kissed him anyway. The sharp tang of fresh toothpaste was all over his lips. “You’ll be amazing.” 


“I’m following a guy around for the better part of two hours and being increasingly annoying while I do it.”


“Like I said, you’ll be amazing.”


Darren shoved him off; Jayden laughed, apparently too caught-up in the pre-performance excitement (or nerves) to get flustered. He bounced back in for another kiss—slightly longer, slightly sweeter, and there was a hint of raspberry flavouring over the toothpaste now that Darren thought about it.


“I knew it,” he said. “You wear lip gloss.”


Jayden pinked a little, but managed to adopt a haughty expression that made Darren want to kiss it off his face again and said, “Maybe.”


Chapter 36