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

He did unwind his right arm to twist it over his own chest and press his hand over the exposed nape of Darren’s neck, holding him into this tangled embrace, pressing his cheek down hard onto his dried hair, trying to cling to him without untangling them enough to do it properly.


He tried, however pathetically, to comfort. 27


On Friday afternoon, Jayden ducked out of the classroom as quickly as possible after the bell rang, skipping his usual locker visit and long circuit round to avoid the smokers. He hadn’t seen Darren all week—he’d skipped Tuesday and Thursday at The Brightside, and had ignored all of Jayden’s messages. It had been lonely, trying, and kind of scary.


But this afternoon he had replied to Jayden’s invite to come over after school with a simplek c u l8a xxxso maybe the dark spell was over? In any case, Jayden wanted more than anything to just hug him, even if—especially if—he was still…off.


Chapter 81