Meena leaned forward in the small car, feeling slightly claustrophobic. She didn't mind being Johnny's shoulder to lean on, especially with him being so sick, but she hated being in such a small, enclosed space. The short drive to Johnny's house felt like forever. Meena had never been to Johnny's home so she was a little surprised when they drove up in front of a gas station with a car shop in the back. Through the window of the station, Meena could see a dour looking hippo sitting behind the cash register, glowering at the morning news. He didn't seem too concerned over his lack of customers.

Nana petitioned to wait in the car as Meena and Rosita helped Johnny to the door of the garage. Rosita pulled her keys out of her front pocket and flipped over to the spare key she'd received from Johnny's father. The heavy door opened to a garage half filled with a pair of cars. There was a living room area separated on one side with rows of snack machines leaning against the wall. Work tools, bags of chips, and dirty dishes were scattered about everywhere. It smelled like oil and rust. Rosita gasped as she entered behind them.

"Oh my goodness, Johnny, this place is a mess!"

She glared at the pathetic looking boy, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"You are in so much trouble."

Johnny shrugged pitifully as Rosita grumbled, picking up a mixture of clothes and dishes off the floor. She motioned Meena to follow her and quickly cleared off a spot on the couch where Johnny could lay down.

"Why are we laying him on the couch instead of on his bed?" Meena asked curiously, helping Johnny take off his leather jacket. Underneath he wore a short sleeved green shirt with dark blue stripes. The short sleeves surprised Meena. She wasn't used to seeing him without his long green shirt or his long sleeved jacket.

"I don't think either of us would be able to get him up there." Rosita responded mildly, waving a hand towards the ceiling.

Meena turned to look where Rosita had directed. A single metal ladder went up the side of the wall towards a railing that stretched overhead, jutting out on top of the gas station portion of the building. From the little she could see there seemed to be some sort of living space up there. Meena agreed with Rosita. There was no way the two of them would be able to get Johnny up that ladder.

"The bathroom's up there, too. Do you mind going up and getting Johnny some ibuprofen while I clean up this mess?"

Meena nodded. She stared up at the ladder nervously before ascending, hoping her clumsy feet wouldn't slip out from under her. She took the steps slowly, one by one, using her trunk to keep steady whenever she felt that she was teetering. When she got up there she noticed that the loft was separated into two bedrooms with a bathroom at the far end. She gripped the railing, willing herself not to look down. It reminded her of the first few times she had worked for Moon as a stagehand and the memory did not help her feel any less scared of the height. The first bedroom door was closed and had a strange dent in the top as if someone had punched it by accident while the second bedroom door hung open slightly, inviting her in. Meena's curiosity got the better of her and she nervously peaked through the crack, careful not to let the door creak as she stuck her head in.

A large bed with an army green comforter and matching pillow set sat in the corner surrounded by posters of various pop and rock artists. The posters seemed to line every inch of the room, pinned on top of one another and hanging strangely from the ceiling. There were clothes and dishes all over the floor, reminding Meena of the mess downstairs, making a halo around the black desk and dresser that completed the sparse furnishings of Johnny's room. The majority of the posters were prints from classic rock and pop artists. Meena only recognized a few of them but the fact that Johnny owned so many intrigued her. She didn't realize that Johnny loved music so much.

Feeling a little creepy for peeking into Johnny's room without permission, Meena hurried out and made her way to the bathroom where she quickly searched for the ibuprofen. She descended the ladder as slowly as she could, making a triumphant "humph" from her trunk when she finally got down.

Meena turned and looked around curiously, finding that Rosita was nowhere in sight. She moved instead to where Johnny was laid out on the couch. He was already drowsy when she prompted him to sit up, handing him a glass of water and the small ibuprofen. He downed the medicine so he could quickly lay back down. It didn't take him long to fall asleep. Meena walked around the building as she tried to think of what she should do while Rosita was gone and Johnny was sleeping. She assumed that Rosita had left to get Johnny's medicine but she was wishing Rosita had given her some kind of warning. Meena's house was on the opposite side of town and she couldn't remember if the bus had a station near hear or not.

She browsed the garage section of the house curiously, tasting the grit of the air on her tongue. Tools were scattered about on Johnny's work table but the drawers themselves were fairly organized which surprised her. Her first impression had been that Johnny was a hopeless slob but now she was beginning to see otherwise. When she walked back into the living room she realized that Rosita had indeed cleaned quite a bit before she had left. The trash had been thrown away and the dishes that had been scattered about were put in the sink, giving Johnny's home the bare image of tidiness. When Meena looked deeply, though, she realized that the place was still messy. Meena pulled off her jacket, setting it down on the edge of the couch where Johnny's jacket lay, and got to work.

She managed to find some cleaning supplies under Johnny's sink and started organizing, spraying, and wiping down as many surfaces as she could. The last thing Meena did was the dishes. She paused to look at a small plate as she washed, turning it about in front of her with her trunk. It had a fancy blue design on it and the craftsmanship was surprisingly delicate. She knew right away that it was china and she was surprised to know that Johnny, all gruff and boyish, owned something so dainty.

Meena put all the dishes away (which took a while because she wasn't sure which pieces went where) and walked back to where Johnny was sleeping as she dried her hands. He looked oddly comfortable on the small red couch. Meena set the rag down on the coffee table and sat on the floor in front of him, her arms crossed against the cushions as she leaned her head forward. She stared at him tiredly for a short while before reaching her trunk out, brushing it over the top of his head. Thankfully, his forehead wasn't nearly as warm as it had been back in the practice room. Little silver hairs on the top of his head shook as she brushed her trunk against them. She had never noticed the silver in his hair before but now that she could see it she found herself transfixed. She had seen the silver on other gorilla's before but had never really wondered about it until now. Her concentration was broken as she heard the startling jingle of keys against the door knob.

Rosita walked in and looked up to see Meena busily putting away some last minute pots and pans. Meena hid her flush of embarrassment behind her ears, wondering why she'd ever thought that playing with Johnny's hair had been a good idea.

"Oh wow, Meena, it looks wonderful in here." Rosita cheeped, surprised by the cleanliness. "You didn't need to do all this, you know."

Meena shrugged, pleased with herself and with Rosita's reaction, "It's alright. I was bored anyways."

Rosita walked to where Johnny was sleeping and set a paper bag down on the coffee table. She stared at him fondly, smoothing his hair down as she spoke.

"Johnny must be really struggling if he let things get this bad." She huffed.

"Is he usually pretty tidy?"

Rosita laughed, "Well, not tidy exactly but tidier. Boys are never really that clean. He likes to keep things organized, though, and he usually takes care of himself. I think Johnny's dad going to prison has taken a toll on him."

Meena nearly dropped the pan she was holding.

"His dad's in prison?"

Rosita looked at her in surprise. "Didn't you know? It was all over the news when we were doing the first show at Moon's Theatre."

"I don't watch tv very much." Meena replied as if not watching tv answered for everything.

Rosita smiled sweetly and made her way to where Meena was standing with her hoofs gripping the metal pan anxiously. Rosita patted Meena's elbow, reassuring her.

"It's nothing you should worry yourself over, Meena."

Meena nodded sadly. "I just wish I had known. What about his mom?"

Rosita shook her head, "I don't know. He doesn't really talk about it much."

A heavy silence fell on the room as Meena focused on the new information. She didn't realize that Johnny had been going through so much and for some odd reason she felt that she should've known, somehow. It left her feeling vulnerable and ashamed. The other day he had seemed so upbeat and happy. She took a deep breath, moving to put the last pan away so she would have some excuse to get out from under the heavy silence.

"So, um, what happened to Nana? Wasn't she with you earlier?"

Rosita seemed startled by the change in conversation.

"I dropped her off after we went to the doctor's office." She paused, shaking her head, "I'm not sure if you noticed but I have a hard time being around her."

Of course Meena had noticed. Everyone had noticed. She didn't mention that, though.

"I've been meaning to ask her why she wants to do a duet with me but whenever I think of it I'm too scared of what she might say. She's quite odd."

Meena and Rosita made their way back to the couch. Meena sat down on the floor while Rosita made herself comfortable on the coffee table, brushing her hand over Johnny's hairy arm affectionately.

"Odd how?"

Rosita shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it. I feel like she's forcing herself to be around me. For instance, when we got to the doctor's office I had planned on leaving her in the car, like before, but she insisted on coming with me saying, "Don't spare me on the details, Rosy. Wherever you go I will go even if it is to this dismal excuse for a doctor's office." Then she paid for Johnny's medicine and the doctor visit and said it was to "take care of her theatre family." Don't get me wrong, I appreciate her kindness, I just feel that her way of speaking is a little strange."

"That is a little strange."

Rosita shook her head as if shaking the memory, "It's pointless for me to worry about it, though. I need to call Johnny's dad and tell him what's been happening. Knowing Johnny, he probably hasn't confided in his dad at all."

Rosita hopped off the coffee table and headed back toward the door.

"And since I'm here I might as well go and buy Johnny some groceries. All I could find in this house was pizza and chips and I would not call that a healthy diet. Would you mind watching him, Meena, until I get back?" She pulled her purse up around her shoulder, "I promise I'll drop you off at your house as soon as I'm done."

Meena smiled and nodded. She watched as Rosita walked back out the front door, locking it behind her. The engine roared in the distance and soon enough Meena was back to being alone in the large, quiet garage with only Johnny's occasional snores to accompany her. She leaned back against the bottom of the couch, the hairs from Johnny's arm tickling the back of her neck. With nothing else to do, Meena resorted to her usual retreat, pulling out her smart phone and drowning out the silence with her music. Her blue eyes turned to look up at the high ceiling. Johnny's house felt nothing like hers. It was a large space with more than enough room for a person her size. The longer she was here the more she liked it.

She turned so she was facing Johnny, resting her head on the couch. She thought about how Rosita had treated him, patting him affectionately like a mother. Curiously, Meena's hoof reached to where his arm was, smoothing down his coarse hair. It wasn't long before the comfort of Johnny's home and the music in her ears lulled her to sleep.

A few hours later, Johnny stirred, his mouth parched. His arm felt heavy and for a moment he felt a twinge of nostalgia.

"Dad?" he mumbled.

He blinked his eyes open only to turn and see a blob of gray. As his eyes focused he realized it wasn't his Father but that Meena had fallen asleep next to him, one hoof on top of his arm. He slowly sat up, moving her hoof as carefully he could, hoping he wouldn't wake her. He sighed and relaxed against the couch, wondering how he could've mistaken Meena for his Dad in the first place. He leaned his face against his hand, staring down at the sleeping elephant, wondering why she looked so different. It took him a while to realize it was because she wasn't wearing her signature jacket.

Her T-shirt was plain but it shaped her elegantly, a baby blue exercise shirt that seemed consistent with her usual choice in clothing. It was in that moment that Johnny realized that Meena was actually quite an attractive elephant. Her eyelashes were longer than most girls' and she had a secretly feminine style. He recalled the plants and flowers sprouting all about her home, the colors she chose as a staple of her personality (baby blue with touches of pink), and he even remembered how she had dressed in a cute, violet colored dress during their first live performance.

Johnny stood up groggily, afraid that he would wake Meena just by staring at her, and tried to ignore the dull ache that still remained from his fever. He fetched himself a glass of water from the kitchen before returning, leaning against the couch's arm as he flipped on his phone. Messages berated him from the lock screen and with an accelerated heartbeat Johnny suddenly remembered he had silenced his phone earlier so he could practice with Meena without distraction. He looked at the clock, wondering how long he had been asleep. It was late in the day, later then he had anticipated. He should've been at the restaurant by now, playing beautiful piano music to a crowd of awe struck listeners. He checked the messages one by one. There were several missed calls but no voicemails. Johnny wasn't surprised- that chicken of a boss hated leaving voicemails. Then, at the end of it all, there was a single text written off to Johnny like a death sentence.

Don't bother coming to work. You're fired.

Johnny slowly slid his water cup onto a green coaster on the table. His admiring thoughts for Meena had disappeared and had been replaced with a concave hollowness. His phone clacked and skidded against the concrete floor, stopping only after it hit the wall. Tears burned the back of his eyes. All his stress had built up into a fevered anger as he yelled at the empty air, falling to the ground, deftly smacking his fist against a cotton rug. There was a long moment of silence before Johnny twitched in surprise at Meena's sudden cool touch.

She knelt next to him, her blue eyes turning to him in concern.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, her voice barely projecting over the ringing in his ears.

Johnny's lips tightened into a thin line before he looked over to where his phone had landed, as if the look alone would answer her question. Meena stood, picking up the phone and walking back slowly as she flipped through the messages.

"Is this your part time job?" she asked.

Johnny nodded stiffly in response. He didn't trust himself enough to speak.

Meena knelt in front of him, putting his phone on the floor between them like a peace offering, waiting for him to speak. Johnny stared at the small crack that had appeared in the corner of the screen, a lump forming in his throat.

"I don't know what to do anymore." He sobbed finally, his shoulders caving in around him.

Meena looked at him with sad, sympathetic eyes. She didn't understand what was going on. Why was he crying? Why was he living in such a big home all by himself? Why did he look so lonely? Meena leaned forward, pulling her arms around him gently and resting her head on his shoulder, saying the only comforting thing she could think to say.

"I'm sorry."

Johnny enveloped himself in her comfort. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, his fingers pulling at her shirt as he shook from silent, choked sobs. They only parted when Rosita got back, arms clinging to bags of groceries. She took in the scene for only a heartbeat before dropping the food to hurry to Johnny's side, crying sympathetic tears of her own.

After the bout of crying had ended Johnny breathed in a calming breath filled with the scent of flowers. Rosita and Meena dutifully filled his fridge with food before declaring that it was time for them to leave.

"Now, Johnny, you take care of yourself. Get some rest and make sure to take your medicine." Rosita put one concerned trotter on his arm, stalling in the doorway.

"I will, Rosita. Thanks." He smiled, reassuring her.

Rosita nodded, leaving the entryway to go and start up the car. Meena hovered for a few moments, her eyebrows drawn up as she hesitated to think of what to say. Johnny reached out and grabbed her wrist, squeezing her hoof gratefully.

"Thanks." He whispered, low enough for only the two of them to hear.

Meena responded with a shy smile that softened her eyes and crinkled up the freckles on her face. She squeezed his hand back and turned away to get into the passenger seat of Rosita's car. Johnny watched them as they drove away, his head pounding to the sound of his suddenly accelerated heartbeat. Meena had beautiful freckles. Her rosy scent lingered in his home from the jacket she had forgotten to take with her and Johnny realized with a start that he rather liked the smell and that he was hesitant to tell Meena that she had forgotten anything at all.

AN: Thank you everyone for waiting so patiently for this chapter! I'm sorry that it took me so long to write. I needed to prepare for the ACTs so I can get ready for school but it was an unexpectedly anxious and frustrating exchange that caused me to have a stress induced fever/cold not unlike Johnny's, ironically. It's hard to take the ACTs when I've been out of school for a good five years. Gah, I feel so old!

On another note, I wanted everyone to know that I've edited a few things in chapter five. I changed "pliers" to "tweezers", "before I start school again" to "before I start looking into colleges", and "that she was still a high school kid" to "that she had only just graduated from high school." I've also decided that Meena's official age in the story is eighteen and Johnny's is twenty three.

A special thanks to Yeahjusttrash and Shahrezad1 for pointing out all my inconsistencies! And thank you to everyone who is following and reading my story. I appreciate you all and I'm grateful that there are others that like this pairing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!