"Hey, have you guys seen Jonah?" Lucia asked, sipping her coffee.

Denny thought for a moment. "I haven't seen him lately. Where has he been?"

"I'm not sure," Monica frowned. "Has anyone tried calling him?"

Lucia and Denny shook their heads.

Monica took out her phone and dialed Jonah's number.

"Hello?" Jonah sighed, picking up the call.

"Hey, Jonah!"

"What's up? Where have you been?"

"Home. I'm afraid that I'm dreadfully ill."

"Oh no!"

"I got poison ivy," Jonah sighed dramatically.

Monica paused. "Poison ivy?

"I think it's fatal," Jonah moaned. "See you guys in my coffin."

"Oh, Jonah," Monica sighed, standing up. "I'll bring you cookies."

"Thanks," Jonah grinned. "See ya in five!"

Monica smiled happily, hanging up the phone and starting towards the coffee shop doors. "Bye, guys!"

"Where are you going?" Lucia frowned.

"Jonah's."

"Oh? Do you plan to drag him over here?"

"No. I am going to take care of him."

"Why?" Denny frowned.

"He has poison ivy."

"So?" Lucia chuckled.

"He needs my help." Monica left quickly.

"Nobody helped me," Danny mumbled.

"I was over at your apartment every day for three weeks," Lucia laughed.

Denny crossed his arms.

Lucia sighed and put a hand on Denny's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Denny shrugged with a sigh. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Are you sure?" Lucia frowned. "You can always talk to me. You know that."

"I know, but I really am fine. I'm just still kinda embarrassed."

"Honey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Lucia said softly.

"My experiment went really wrong. I was so cocky and then I ended up in the hospital."

"That's not your fault."

"Yes it is." Denny looked at her with sad eyes.

"Come here," Lucia sighed, pulling him into a hug. "It's alright, kid. Don't be upset about it."

Denny hugged her back briefly before letting go to finish his latte.

"Listen, knowing Monica, she'll be with him all night. You wanna come out to dinner with me?"

"Sure. We could watch a movie too."

"Perfect," Lucia smiled.

—————

"Hey," Jonah smiled.

"Hey there," Monica smiled brightly, handing him a box of chocolate chip, cocoa cookies. "Your favorites."

"Thanks," Jonah grinned. "How are you?"

"Just fine."

"Yeah...um, would you like to stay? For dinner?"

"Sure. Want me to make it? You're too itchy, huh?"

"Yeah," Jonah chuckled. "Was, uh- was Lucia worried?"

"A little."

"Oh...but not a lot?"

"She was worried, of course. I kinda just ran right out."

"Yeah?" Jonah smiled shyly.

"Yeah."

"Um...well, I have a frozen pizza in the freezer, if you just want to make that," Jonah shrugged, scratching his arm.

"Stop scratching," Monica huffed, batting his shoulder. "I'll take care of dinner."

"It's hurts," Jonah moaned. "I can't help it."

"Get calamine lotion and bathe in it."

"Do you have any idea how much that would take?" Jonah frowned.

Monica smiled. "I was teasing. Need help applying it?"

"Would you?" Jonah sighed. "That'd be great."

"Of course. I'll get gloves."

"Why?" Jonah chuckled.

"So I don't get it."

"You can't catch it."

Monica nodded. "I'll go get it."

"Thanks," Jonah smiled.

Monica went to look for the calamine lotion and Jonah watched her. "How nice of her to come," he thought.

—————

"Hey," Lucia smiled. "Where are we going for dinner?"

"Doesn't matter. How about the Mexican place?"

"Sure," Lucia smiled. "I thought maybe we'd go see The Lion King. I've heard the new one is awesome."

"Yeah, sure. I like those kinds of movies."

"Awesome. Bring tissues. It's sad."

Denny sighed and got in the driver's seat. "I don't cry at movies."

"Really?" Lucia laughed. "How?"

"I"m a guy."

"So, just because you're a guy, you lack emotion?"

"Just when watching movies."

"Wow. Remind me to blackmail you into watching Phantom of the Opera. We'll change the whole not crying thing."

Denny smiled a little and turned the car on.

"So, what's your next experiment?"

"I don't know."

"Well, can it involve coffee?" Lucia asked jokingly.

"Maybe. But I should take a break."

"Is this because of the poison ivy?" Lucia frowned.

"Yeah. Well, more like the hospital visit."

"That wasn't your fault, Hon."

"I feel like it was."

"You'd never had poison ivy before. How were you supposed to know that you're allergic?"

"But I was too overconfident."

"It happens," Lucia shrugged. "Don't worry. Monica isn't going to judge you because of it."

"It isn't even just because Monica saw it."

"Then what else is bothering you about it?"

Denny sighed. "I don't know."

"Come on. Just be honest with me. What's up?"

Denny stopped at the red light. "I just don't know how to feel when you hit an obstacle that scares you witless."

"How about I help you with the next experiment? Would that make you more comfortable?"

"I suppose."

"Alright. What're we doing?" Lucia grinned.

"Well, getting dinner first."

"Well, obviously. I meant for an experiment."

Denny smiled that smile that could charm a turtle out of its shell. "Well, I don't know. But we'll figure it out tomorrow."

"Alright," Lucia smiled.

—————

"That was a great movie," Lucia grinned. "Wasn't it?"

Denny sniffed and wiped his eyes. "It was beautiful," he whimpered.

Lucia turned to him and smirked. "I thought you didn't cry at movies."

"Well...maybe a few. And I am not crying. Just sweating through my eyes."

"Eyes don't sweat."

"Mine do, apparently. It's a rare condition," Denny sighed, straightening his shoulders.

"Mhm," Lucia smirked.

Denny huffed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, lightly ruffling her hair.

"Stop," Lucia chuckled. "This hairstyle took an hour to do."

"You're normal mop looks just fine."

"Thanks," Lucia smiled.

Denny smiled as they walked out of the theatre. "Want me to drop you home?"

"You could," Lucia shrugged. "Or we could go back to your greenhouse and clear that poison ivy and the poison oak."

"I just don't want you out past your bed time."

"I'm twenty-six, Denny. I don't have a bedtime," Lucia chuckled.

"But I know that you have to get up early for work. And it's getting dark."

"It doesn't matter. I'll be up late either way," Lucia shrugged. "Come on, let's go."

Denny nodded and drove back to his apartment.

The pair went to his greenhouse with gloves and some weed killer.

"You know," Lucia chuckled as they set to work, "I still don't understand what made you think you were immune to poison ivy."

"I was exposed to it once before, but I have heard of people becoming allergic to it later in life."

"Maybe you just thought it was poison ivy," Lucia shrugged. "There's always the chance it was something different."

Denny nodded. "It's very possible. I should have done more research," he sighed. "I was so dumb."

"Hey, you're not dumb," Lucia frowned.

"Yes, I am. I'm trying to prove things that have already been proven. What kind of scientist is that?"

Lucia kissed his cheek. "The smart kind. There are a lot of different factors that contribute to the result of an experiment. Sometimes, even environment has something to do with it. By testing these things, you're finding out what else may work to get the same result."

"I guess," Denny sighed.

"I'd, uh, hug you now, but I've already touched the poison ivy and I don't want to take you to the hospital again," Lucia chuckled.

Denny smiled slightly and quietly kept spraying, thinking over everything. He hoped that he could bounce back and that Lucia was behind him. Always.

—————

"Well, uh, tonight's been fun," Monica smiled. "Thanks for inviting me over, Jonah."

"Thanks for the cookies," Jonah smiled. He was light pink all over because of all the calamine lotion he had on.

"No problem," Monica chuckled. "How did you even get poison ivy, anyway?"

"I may have went to Denny's greenhouse behind his back and rolled around in the poison ivy a little," Jonah shrugged.

"You did what?!" Monica exclaimed. "How could you?! You could have been allergic."

"I am. That's how I ended up with the rash," Jonah chuckled. "I'm just thankful I'm not severely allergic like Denny, but there was only one way to find out."

"No, Jonah, you could have been tested for it."

"But where's the fun in that?"

"It's the safer way." Monica rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," Jonah chuckled. "Well, I know you have to get up early for work, so I'll let you go. Have a good night, Mon."

"Night, Jonah," Monica smiled before letting herself out, locking the apartment door behind her.

—————

Lucia sat in bed and pulled out notepad. She began to write a letter to her pen pal which reads as follows:

Dear Potato Guy,

How are you? I certainly hope your mother is doing better. Send her my love. As for me, my life has been pretty hectic lately. Remember my friend Denny and how he's sort of a scientist? Well, a month ago, he was experimenting with poison ivy. You're probably already thinking "this can't end well", am I right? Haha. Anyway, he was testing to see if Windex would stop the itching from the rash. So, what did he do? He rubbed poison ivy on his arm and then sprayed the Windex. Let's just say that didn't end well. As it turns out, he's got a severe allergy to the poison ivy and we had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. They gave him a shot which totally freaked me out since he's super afraid of needles, but I guess he was passed out at that point. Let's just say that he gave us all a heart attack. Haha. What's new with you?

Hoping to hear back soon.

Lydia

Two weeks later, Lucia received a white envelope with a red seal on the back. She squealed, flopped on the couch, and popped the seal the open.

The letter read:

Dear Lydia,

That's terrible to hear about your friend Denny. But why would he want to test something like that? He must have had a reason. If he's home and back to normal, then that's awesome for him. Don't need any more death.

My mom is doing a little better. Life is still hectic here too, but if she's alive then great, right? I'm wincing at the thought right now. She's in so much pain. Why should she be suffering? Oh, well. I just try my best to make her smile every day.

I hope every one of your friends is doing just fine and that your dad is doing well also. I hope to hear back from you soon!

Potato Guy

Lucia smiled as she read the letter, trying desperately to fight the feeling creeping slowly but surely into her chest.