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 now, Jayden wasn’t sure which side of the fence they were on.


“About this whole gay thing,” Dad said and Jayden winced. “Don’t give me that look, kiddo. Your Mum and I meant what we said. It doesn’t change anything, but it does mean we need to have a talk.”


“Because I’m not stupid, kid. You might have gone to your Mum about girl troubles, but I doubt you’ll be seeking either of us out for boy troubles, so we need to get some things sorted. The first one being that you can come to us with any worries you got, okay? I might squirm a bit, but you’re still my kid and it’s still my place to help you out.”


Jayden swallowed and nodded, picking at the label on the bottle.


Chapter 60