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

“Quarter past,” Paul said, looking at his watch before snapping his fingers at Ethan. “Pay up, loser.”


“You made a bet on when I’d get here?” Jayden asked.


“Yeah,” Paul said and snatched a battered fiver out of Ethan’s hands. “Score! There you go, Darren, happy birthday,” he added, pressing the note into Darren’s right hand, lying limp on the sheets. The other arm was still tightly bound to his chest.


“…turned sixteen today,” Ethan continued blithely, “only we couldn’t find a wheelchair that had cool racing stripes. So we figured we could start a cripple fund for him!”


Darren grinned. His eyes were glazed, hopefully just with drugs, and his voice was slow and slurred when he mumbled, “S’not m’leg he busted, f’ckwit…”


“Wait, back up.” Jayden brushed the other two off, crouching awkwardly by the bed to peer at Darren’s face. “It’s your birthday?” he clarified.


Chapter 96