your dad.. he kept you in a glass jar, really. His sweet, little girl.. nothing could hurt you, and he would’ve protected you from everything.

I just learned these people only raise you to cage you

You and JJ had been together for a while now — not exactly a secret, but far from public knowledge. Your friends knew, of course. The Pogues loved teasing you both whenever you’d sneak glances or brush hands like lovesick teenagers, and even Sarah had given you that knowing smirk every time you came back from one of your so-called “solo walks.” But the one person who didn’t know — the one person who couldn’t know — was your father.

He’d made it clear from day one what he thought about pogues. “Nothing but trouble,” he had muttered once when he saw JJ across town, barefoot and shirtless, riding his bike like the world owed him something. It was JJ’s recklessness, his loud mouth, his unpredictable energy. Your father called it a lack of direction. But you saw it for what it was: survival. JJ didn’t come from money or structure, but he had more heart than anyone you knew.

He was chaos, he was revelry

Your father didn’t see that. All he saw was a boy with no future getting dangerously close to his daughter.

So when JJ showed up outside your house one afternoon — just to see you for a few minutes — it was a gamble. A risk. You told him not to. You begged him to wait until your dad was out or until you could sneak away. But JJ was stubborn. He missed you. He said he’d be quick.

You were standing at the front gate, nervously wringing your hands when you saw JJ walking up the path, sun-bleached hair falling into his eyes, hands in his pockets like he owned the place — but his eyes darted to the side, nerves betraying him. You couldn’t help smiling. That was your JJ — bold on the outside, but soft underneath.

He reached you and grinned, tugging at the hem of your shirt playfully. “Told you I’d be quick.”

“Hey!” Your father’s voice boomed from the porch, sharp and immediate. You both turned. Your stomach dropped.

JJ took a slow breath and turned to face him. “Sir.”

Your father’s eyes narrowed. He stepped down onto the path, his posture rigid, jaw clenched. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

JJ stood his ground, biting the inside of his cheek. “Just came to see her for a second.”

“You think that’s okay?” your father said, voice rising. “You think you can just show up here, uninvited, like this is your place?”

JJ didn’t answer. He didn’t move either.

Your father looked between you and JJ, and something in his face shifted — like the pieces clicked together in real time. His expression darkened. “You’ve been seeing him.”

“Dad—” you started, stepping forward. But he cut you off with a sharp gesture.

“No. Don’t you ‘dad’ me. I told you — I told you — to stay away from him. He’s bad news. He’s from the Cut, he’s got nothing going for him, and he sure as hell isn’t going to drag you down with him.”

You felt your cheeks flush, your fists clenching at your sides. “You don’t know him.”

“I know enough,” he snapped. Then he turned to JJ, taking a step forward — too close, too fast. “I don’t want you any bit near my daughter. You hear me?”

No, I'm not coming to my senses I know he's crazy but he's the one I want

JJ stared back at him, unmoving. His lip twitched slightly, like he was fighting the urge to say something, but he bit down on it.

“I said,” your father leaned closer, his voice low and dangerous, “if I see you near her again — just a bit near her — it’ll be the last thing you do.”

There was a tense silence. The air between the three of you was thick with heat and fury. JJ’s jaw worked, his fingers flexing, but he held his ground. Not out of pride — for you. He didn’t want to make this worse for you.

“Dad,” you said. “This isn’t- He hasn’t done anything.”

I’d rather burn my whole life down Than listen to one more second of all this griping and moaning

“I don’t care. End of story,” he snapped, not even looking at you anymore. His eyes stayed locked on JJ like he was daring him to make a move.