Unconditional.

It was nice to start a new day after all that trouble with Seb and my dad and everything else that went on the previous day. I stayed in bed until late afternoon, when I decided I should eat something before work and make myself look presentable. I really couldn't be bothered to work today; the past few days had been packed with drama and I just didn't want to deal with any of it today.

To be honest I just wanted someone to talk to. I wanted to be able to unload my problems on someone and ask for help, but I didn't want to appear weak. I wanted to be able to handle myself, because what kind of man would I be if I just whined to someone about being pushed around by a bully? Who would offer their sympathy to a complete liar who used his friends to keep one stupid little secret for a girl he didn't know? I didn't feel like a man. I felt like a pathetic, petulant little boy.

Mum was sitting in the living room when I got downstairs, her glasses perched on the end of her nose and her eyes fixed on a stack of papers. She looked tired and irritable, and I was probably the last person she wanted to see, but I approached her anyway.

"Do you not have any classes today?" I asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa as she scribbled notes in the margin of an essay.

"No," she said distractedly, "I sent the students to the library to do a paper so I could catch up with marking their essays. I'm so behind."

"You'll catch up, Professor," I said, grinning, and she looked up at me, amusement straightening out the lines in her forehead a little. "Is Dad in the shed?"

She nodded. "He's started a new painting for the exhibit. He told me about Sebastian, by the way."

"Oh," I said quietly. It seemed yesterday hadn't quite fizzled out into the past quite yet. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologising for?" she demanded, taking off her glasses and folding her skinny arms. "You can't help being an attractive single boy, can you?"

I rolled my eyes and coughed out a laugh. "I guess I was apologising again for Seb."

"I just think he should pay for the window and be done with us," she said disapprovingly.

"I'm still his friend, Mum," I told her, and she clicked her tongue and said nothing. I had the good sense to change the subject before she got really annoyed with me. "How's Rachel doing in your class?"

"See for yourself," she said, smiling and handing me Rachel's graded Literature essay and a grin grew wide on my face. "Don't tell her, okay? I'll get in trouble."

"This is great!" I beamed, handing her back the paper. "When does she get it back?"

"Tomorrow, if I finish marking these papers," she said pointedly.

"Right," I grinned, "I'll leave you to it, then."

I went to the kitchen and threw a salad together. I couldn't be bothered to run today, and quite frankly if I could be bothered I still wouldn't. I'd be lying if I said that run in with Luke hadn't scared me.

I ate alone, wondering how my dad was. He hadn't spoken to me since last night, when he'd kicked me out of the living room to talk to Seb. I didn't know whether or not he was mad at me but I guess I deserved it. Just not for the reasons he thought.

After showering and getting dressed in my work uniform, I left the house. The sky was grey and overcast, making me glad I'd remembered a jacket this time because knowing my luck I wouldn't beat the rain. I yanked the hood over my head and walked briskly in the direction of the club.

I still felt awful about what I'd done to Seb. I knew he always seemed fine, but it didn't take much to hurt him on the inside. I'd seen him upset, and I knew that sometimes his cheeky grin was nothing but a big facade. I knew I owed him big time, whether he thought I did or not. I had to repay him for the massive favour he'd done me.

I had another ten minutes to walk when the rain started, pelting me with heavy bullets and drumming on car bonnets. I broke into a run, holding my hood up, but it was no good. I was drenched within seconds. My shoes filled to the brim and I felt the water seeping through my hood.

I made straight for the staff toilets when I arrived at the club, peeling off my soggy jacket and hanging it on a radiator. Luckily my shirt wasn't too wet, but my jeans were plastered tight to my legs and my shoes squelched when I walked. I leaned over the sinks and peered into the mirror, surveying the damage done to my hair. The back and sides were unaffected, but my fringe was starting to curl at the ends. I sighed and stepped back as the door opened and Felix walked in.

I hadn't met Felix properly yet. He was the club's manager, appointed because Brewer couldn't be bothered to stick around most of the time. He was a little shorter than me, and skinny, with neat brown hair and kind brown eyes. His face was kind of delicate and feminine, but he was a good looking guy nonetheless. He was dressed in skinny jeans and a blue plaid shirt, and a key card hung off the back of his jeans. He beamed as his gaze fell on me and I smiled sheepishly back.

"Hey," he said, an American accent rolling off his tongue. "You're soaked!"

"Yeah," I muttered, shrugging. "No big deal, it'll dry."

"You're Josh, right? The new guy?"

I nodded, adding, "The new guy who bailed on his first day, yeah. Thanks for covering for me, by the way."

"No worries," he assured me. "It was nice of you to take Holly home."

"Yeah," I said awkwardly, realising this guy probably needed to pee and I was probably in his way. "Um, I'll get to work, shall I? It was nice meeting you."

With that I hurried out of the bathroom, moving awkwardly in my wet jeans, thinking that was probably the most uncomfortable conversation I'd ever been involved in. It wasn't often I hung around in a guys' bathroom to chat to my extremely well dressed manager. It just seemed weird to me, like a scene in a chick flick where girls go to the bathroom to discuss the men sitting at the bar.

I took my place behind the bar, waving hello to Aidan and glancing instinctively towards Holly's corner, which was occupied. She didn't look up at me from whatever she was writing in her battered notebook. She didn't appear to notice I'd arrived, although I knew she probably had. I didn't say anything, I just got straight to work.

A muscular, angry looking guy sat at the bar, glaring at the counter and crossing his tattooed arms gloomily. I readied some glasses in front of me before approaching him to take his order. He looked up as I approached, his furious blue gaze locking with mine, and I felt hostility come off him in waves.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked him, and he rolled his eyes.

He smiled pleasantly before saying, "How about a nice big bowl of leave me alone?"

I frowned. "It was just a question, mate, and you are sitting at the bar. That usually indicates someone would want a drink?"

I didn't know what it was, but there was something about this guy that just irritated me. His face contorted back into a scowl and he opened his mouth to yell when I felt a hand pulling me backwards. I looked to the owner of the hand to see Aidan shaking his head, his expression warning me to back off. He pulled me to the other end of the bar, ignoring objections from impatient customers.

"You don't talk to him," he hissed in my ear. "If he wants something, he'll order it."

"Why?" I demand, glaring over at the guy. "Who is he?"

"His name's Ricky," Aidan explained. "He's Felix's stepbrother and he has extreme anger issues."

I laughed sarcastically, thinking of Luke. "Must be something in the water around here."

"Nah," said Aidan, not fully understanding the hidden meaning, "most of them are harmless."

We got back to work, swapping sides so he was between me, Holly and Ricky. Felix came back not long later and helped at the bar for a while, refilling his stepbrother's glass when it was empty. Felix worked at top speed, somehow managing to keep up conversation with random customers and serve drinks to multiple people at the same time. How much coffee had he drank in the staff room?

The mob seemed a lot less ferocious with three of us working at the bar. I felt like I could breathe easier. I noticed a few girls trying to talk to Ricky, but he flat out blanked them. It was as if they were talking to a statue. Aidan didn't seem to work all that much. He liked talking to customers and serving the odd drink every few minutes. No one seemed to mind, though. The atmosphere was much calmer with Felix around.

After the first hour my jeans were almost dry. I helped myself to a glass of water and headed over to Holly, who was apparently still ignoring me. I leaned against the bar, knocking back my water, and looked at her.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Coursework," she grunted, her lips barely moving to form the word.

Her hoodie was draped over the back of her chair, her black vest exposing her arms and shoulders, and I noticed she had a few tattoos dotted around her arms. On her shoulder was a pretty-faced Medusa with flowers and vines incorporated among the snakes. There was a rose on her inner forearm, and on her other forearm was a dagger piercing a heart with a banner around it. I leaned in to read the words on the banner: 'You deserve better.' I smiled, thinking my mum would never let me get tattoos at seventeen. But even now, at twenty, the thought didn't appeal to me. Don't get me wrong, I loved them, but there wasn't really anything I wanted permanently inked on my body.

"What do your college teachers think of your ink?" I asked her, and she sighed but said nothing.

I heard a deep chuckle behind me, and I didn't have to turn around to know it was Ricky. Anger flared up in me, but I kept it at bay. I frowned, wondering why Holly wouldn't talk to me. Hadn't I done her a favour by doing as she said, promising to keep her secret and then promising again not to go to the police? Why wasn't she talking to me?

"I didn't tell the police," I said quietly, and she shot me a deadly look.

I shut up and went back to the other end of the bar, giving up. I got back to work, pushing Holly to the back of my mind. Felix came over to my side and leaned against the counter as I worked, chatting to regulars and keeping an eye on me. I didn't speak to Holly for the rest of the night.

At 4am the club began to empty and Felix instructed me to grab the mop and bucket. Aidan and Holly left together. Ricky hadn't moved from the bar the entire time, and he stayed there as Felix and I mopped the floor and locked up.

"You're doing really well," Felix told me as we mopped. "You catch on quickly."

"Well Brewer did show me how to use the till after my interview," I admitted. "I guess the rest is simple."

"Give yourself some credit, Josh," he said with a smile. "I know it can be hard, especially with the picky ones. It takes some getting used to, some trial and error."

"I suppose," I shrugged, grinning back.

I offered to put the things away once we were done mopping, grabbing my jacket from the bathroom radiator on the way, and then we stepped outside into the cold, damp air, Ricky trailing behind us. I decided I liked Felix already. After locking the door he turned to Ricky.

"Coffee?" he suggested, and I raised an eyebrow.

"You're not going home?" I asked, and he shook his head, consulting his watch.

"My house is a forty five minute drive away," he explained, "and I have another job that starts in roughly four hours, so."

"Christ," I whistled. "Where do you get the energy?"

He shrugged and laughed. "See you tomorrow, Josh."

He made for his shiny silver car, swinging the keys around his skinny finger, but Ricky stayed where he was, smirking maliciously at me. I stepped away from him, frowning, wondering what the hell his deal was. It seemed he read my mind, because as the question entered my head he answered it aloud.

"Careful," he said, amused, "Felix likes pretty boys."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded, glaring up at him.

But Felix was calling him from his car, and with a nod Ricky followed his stepbrother and then they were gone. I walked home slowly, stepping around the puddles and tilting my face up to the light drizzle, letting it soak me.

Without consent my thoughts drifted back to Holly. I didn't know why she was ignoring me but I was done chasing her. I was sick of her hot and cold routine. I knew I'd been holding onto the first night we'd met, hoping I could hold her like that again, hoping she'd kiss me for real next time, but I knew now that there would be no next time. I didn't know her and she didn't know me, and no matter how much I wanted to know her she wouldn't let me. She could handle her problems her own way. She didn't need me to handle them for her.

I worked the rest of the week, and we didn't say one word to each other. We seemed to have come to a silent agreement that we'd only talk to each other if we really needed to. I tried to make myself think of her as a stuck up bitch, but deep down I knew she must have her reasons for ignoring me. But now and then I glanced at her and our eyes met. I kept catching her looking at me, and it confused me. What was going on in her head?

On Saturday I was just grateful my first week at work was coming to a close. I'd survived, and it was only going to get easier from here. I walked to work in a good mood, the sky reflecting my enthusiastic demeanor. The sun was shining and the sky was practically cloudless. Then I saw it.

A sleek black car cruised past me, slowly enough for me to recognise the face behind the glass. It was Luke's car. For a second our eyes locked and he smirked at me, and then he was gone.

But when I got to work there it was again, parked around the corner out of the way. Without thinking, I headed for the car and peered inside. It was empty, and a horrible thought floated into my head like pollution. Revenge was mine.

I took my keys from my pocket and scraped them along the car, the screeching noise and peeling metal satisfying my rage. He wasn't going to threaten my family and get away with it. He wasn't going to make my life hell, he wasn't going to make Seb pay for any more of his crimes. I let my fury bubble over and before I knew it my fist sank into the driver's window, breaking through the glass and sending shockwaves of pain up my wrist. I swore, knowing someone probably would've heard the deafening smash, and ran, half blinded by rage and pain.

I stopped at the other end of the street, sinking to the ground behind a bin and examining my hand. My knuckles were cut to ribbons, a long gash following my wrist to my forearm where my arm had gone throught the window. Glass protruded from the gushing wounds, and I picked it out the best I could. I swore again. What was Felix going to say?

I staggered into work, hurrying behind the bar and into the staff room to clean myself up, praying no one would see me. But as I searched desperately for a first aid kit, I heard the door squeak open and someone stepped in. Busted, I thought grimly.

"Are you okay, man?"

I turned to face a stranger with sleek black hair and dark blue eyes, dressed in a silver and black stripy shirt, black skinny jeans and shiny silver shoes. I muttered something inaudible and tried to hide my bleeding arm behind my back, but it was dripping onto the carpet, betraying me. His eyes widened.

"What happened?" he exclaimed, throwing open the cabinet doors beside my head and pulling out the first aid kit. So that was where the first aid kit was.

"Oh," I said lamely, "I, um, fell?"

"Through a window?" he said disbelievingly, picking a piece of glass off my shirt. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me. Hold still."

I did as I was told and he cleaned my wounds as gently as he could. They looked even worse once they were clean, and they stung like hell. I was kind of grateful to this guy for finding me when he did; I'd probably have thrown up all over myself if I'd tried to tend to my arm myself.

The door swung open and Felix poked his head around it, and I felt my cheeks burning. How much drama did I have to face on my first week of work? Worse still, how many times would I have to ask a complete stranger to help? I felt like a complete idiot.

"Everything okay in here, Dan?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," said my doctor, whose name was apparently Dan. "The new guy 'fell'. We'll be out in a minute."

"Shout if you need me," said Felix, disappearing again, but I didn't miss the fond smile he shot our way before he went.

Dan nodded, smiling over his shoulder. His face flushed as his gaze met mine and I raised an eyebrow. He didn't offer an explanation, but I worked it out on my own, remembering what Ricky had said to me about Felix the night before.

"How long have you two been...?" I asked, and Dan shook his head.

"It's not like that," he sighed, tightening a bandage around my arm. "Ricky doesn't like me very much, so Felix and I are kind of seeing each other on and off."

"What does Ricky have to do with Felix's relationships?" I said, frowning.

"He's a hard guy to say no to," he said, closing the first aid kit and putting it back. "Listen, I'll clean the carpet. Are you all right to work?"

"I'm good," I assured him. "Thanks."

I left the staff room and took my place behind the bar, and I couldn't help feeling pleased with myself for punching a hole in Luke's car. That'd show him, I thought smugly. He wasn't the only one who could make threats and break windows.

Aidan wasn't here tonight, so I guessed Dan was working here too. He seemed nervous when he joined us at the bar, and he didn't say anything to Felix. I watched them for a moment, wondering why Dan was so uneasy around Felix. Felix didn't seem like the type of person to let his stepbrother interfere with his relationships. Maybe Dan was just timid.

Routinely, I glanced Holly's way, but for once she was already looking at me. Her confused green eyes flitted from my face to my arm and back again, and she furrowed her eyebrows. Was that concern I saw on her face? Suddenly curiosity got the better of me and I directed myself towards her. As I approached, fear leaked into her features and she glanced to her left.

I followed her gaze, immediately spotting Luke and Ricky across the room, chatting like old friends, and suddnely I understood why Dan was so nervous. Ricky was here. I frowned. What the hell was I seeing? Felix's stepbrother was friends with Luke? Well, I thought, I should've guessed. They both had anger issues. It figured they were friends too. It made me wonder how much Felix knew, though.

When my attention returned to Holly I realised a smile was playing on my lips, and she was looking at me again. She looked worried for me.

"Josh," she said quietly, "what did you do?"

I smiled and shrugged, turning away from her and beginning my work for the night. If she wanted me to talk to her again she'd have to try harder than that.