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

Paul woke him up. Where you at? Or Ethan with Paul’s phone. Whatever. It was half past eleven, and Darren dragged himself out of bed to go to the bathroom. It felt like beingdragged as well. He felt about a hundred pounds heavier and had to clutch the top of the toilet to stay upright. He almost felt legitimately sick. Proper sick, not crazy sick.


He looked like hell, when he glanced up into the mirror after washing his hands. There were rings under his eyes, his skin had gone from white to practically see-through, and he looked as worn down as he felt. Like those pictures of meth users in the nurse’s office at school, or something.


“Fucking pathetic,” he whispered at his reflection and poked it with one finger. He barely felt the fake glass. His hands felt thick and numb again. “Shower. Okay. Shower.”


Chapter 76