High school student Darren Price arrived on the scene in March 2010, when teacher Cristian Vega tapped him to help create the sets for the high school musical "Starr X'd Lovers". Darren was instantly smitten with Destiny Evans, who was cast in the supporting role of Langston Wilde. The more Destiny tried to discourage Darren, the more he fell for her. Destiny reluctantly accepted his invitation to be his prom date. By the end of the prom, Darren's unique charms had won a place in Destiny's heart and they began dating.

Darren hung out during the summer at the Llanview Country Club, where his parents were members and where Destiny worked part-time on the staff. He told Destiny he wanted to be rich when he grew up so he could keep her in style, to which Destiny replied that she didn't need to be kept at all. Darren's priorities were in sharp contrast to those of his working-class brother Theo, who was a detective at the Llanview Police Department.