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Chapter 21: Seeking Consent

I have unpublished the rest of the book because it doesn't align to the remake version now. So sorry about that. It's near ending though so you don't have to worry about that.
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That night, as Johnny took a time to go visit his dad in jail—to which the man never showed up— he was about to leave until a strange idea struck his head and went back to the chair, asking for the guard to bring him another prisoner.

That prisoner now stood before him, glaring down with a mess of ruffled fur that went unkempt during his short time in jail. Brian sat on the opposite side of the glass with a brow raised, clutching the telephone before bringing it to his ear, "Well, if it isn't the little punk that got us all thrown into the bars."

"I'm not here to seek trouble with you, s-sir Brian."

"Sure you won't. Not like I can do something to you from the other side of the glass," he smirks bitterly. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of you wanting to talk with me personally?"

Johnny gulped down his nervousness, feeling his own sweat run down his fur at the next few words that he's about to say. "I love your daughter, more than I had bargained for. And I'm here to ask for your permission to be with her."

He can feel the stares of the people seated at by his sides, and it only made him tremble more that Brian's intense gaze slowly morphs as he gritted his teeth. "Ahh, so it was you. You're that punk that snuck around with Crystal three years back."

"Yes, I was."

"And now you want to take advantage of us all being here so you can make a move on her."

"That's.... not really my intention."

"Yeah right. You and all other jack pumped men who claimed the same thing. I'm a man too, I know how these things work."

Nothing's getting through, he had to make a better argument, "It's true. The fact that I'm here despite being scared sh*tless to confront you about it is proof enough that I'm serious about this. I'm not a child anymore, I know for sure that I'm not making any mistake by doing this, sir. And just so you know, I would've done this even if the whole gang is out on the field for a fight."

Brian rests his elbow on the table with his palm against his chin, looking quite interested at the young adult's foolish bravery. "You got some nerve, boy. You don't know anything about the circumstances yet you come here thinking I'd let you be with my daughter? You're far too gone for that, kiddo. I've already made arrangements for her future. She's in safe hands and it's not going to be yours."

".... So you're forcing her to live her life the way you want. Did you ever considered what she wants?"

"What do you know about what she wants?"

"Well she—" come to think of it, does he really know her desires? Johnny couldn't fathom the thought that all that he knew about her three years ago are true, nor all the conversations they've had of what they wanted in life if all of their problems would disappear.

"I ran away from my mother's reach. I've lived with my dad, assuming that he'll allow me to live a much more.... stable life," Crystal left out the details of what her family really is, including the entire story of her mother's side, but Johnny listened attentively to his girlfriend as they laid out their hearts for the rarest of times to talk of the wants and what if's in their lives. "If somehow... fate were to change— say like, maybe everyone could disappear— I'll try everything that I've always wanted to do."

"Like?"

"Like...." she thought hard for a moment to organize her thoughts, "... learning to swim. And know how to cook. How to ride on a skateboard. Sew. Skydiving. Parasailing. Bungee jumping—"

"T-That's a bit too much, don't you think?" Johnny kept his smile at the wide variety of things she wished of doing. The extreme ones are rather hard for him to take, whilst he plans to accompany her on her dreams and make them come true.

Crystal considered his opinion, but shook her head nonetheless, "Nah, they're good. You only live once, right? Without all the stuffy stuff, I'll make sure to savor that freedom. And maybe then I'll meet some people whom I can sympathize with.... like a real family who can understand you, you know."

".... She wants many things."

Brian stares at him with a raised brow.

"Crystal wanted people to actually get to know her, people who can connect to her. What she wants, what she likes or dislikes, or what she wants to do in life. Don't get it wrong, your daughter looks up to you, she respects you that she'd disregard those wants to aim for a path that you and her won't fight over. But that wouldn't be what would make Crystal happy. And for her own sake, she's trying to cope with that by doing what she does now."

The older individual calmly listened, for the first while in years, towards someone whom he had never considered of worth for opinions. He's far too old to understand the younger generation these days, Brian admits that to himself, he's never one to obey his parents either so he knew nothing of how to raise a kid properly. He assumed they wanted the same things as he does, and what he did in his younger years was nothing worth taking note off, and Brian wanted nothing than to keep her out of those sorts of devilish thoughts. Individuality was an issue he never took notice until today, because it's true, his daughter isn't a mindless little child now.

He didn't get to say more when the guard had walked over to end their conversation, "A'ight, visiting hours are over. Get back in the cell."

Brian looks him over for the last time before letting himself get pushed out to the door. Johnny as well, he didn't know if he succeeded but it was definitely something to check off the list of things to regret.