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

The room temporarily paused. Scott’s voice was powerful; it smashed through the waiting room, bouncing off the tiles and lights, and in its wake hung a short, startled silence.


Dad’s hand was coaxing him up. “Dad, no!”


“Jayden, the prick’s right,” Dad said, so calmly that it seemed to take a minute for Mr. Peace to realise he’d been insulted. “Darren’s family need a little time right now, and we’re all whacked. You can call Scott in the morning; Darren’s safe for now, and you’re not going to be able to see him until he’s in recovery anyway.”


“No,” Dad said firmly. “Come on. Scott will call in the morning with any news, won’t you?”


“Yes, sir,” Scott said, his voice dropping effortlessly into the same kind of respectful meekness that occasionally coloured the way Darren would speak to Jayden’s father. “Soon as I know anything, I’ll pass it on.”


Mr. Peace looked furious with that decision, but it let Jayden stand shakily under Dad’s insistence.


Chapter 88