High Fives

            by Mariel Austin

 

            “That was tight, everybody!” Xavier smiled from behind the piano. “Let’s take it back from the top.”

            Xavier snapped his fingers, counting off the tempo of his newly composed song.             “One… two…one, two, thr—“

            ssSCRREEEEECH! Huge feedback shot from the base amp.                                                  

            “Oops, my bad,” Taylor fidgeted shyly with his electric bass while trying to fix the control knobs of the amp.

            “Ha ha! That’s the funniest shit!” exclaimed Reggie, who crumpled into laughter behind his drum set.

            “Hey, man!” Nico called out, annoyed. “Get a hold of yourself.”

            Reggie nearly fell backwards off of his drum stool, which sent him into more peels of laughter. Nico rolled his eyes and adjusted the reed on his tenor saxophone.

            “Reggie, come on,” Xavier called out.

            Reggie’s started to regain his composure, still quivering from laughter. “Whatever.” He shrugged and scratched his back with his drumsticks.

            “From the top, guys,” Xavier continued.

            The quartet resumed their rehearsal under the direction of Xavier. Reggie had no more laughing fits, but overly indulged in his five-minute drum solo. When Xavier decided to call it a day, everyone packed up their instruments. They helped dismantle the drum set and the bass amp and moved the pieces into their storage closet outside the school band room.

            “Hey, man, good playing,” said Taylor as he and Reggie walked home.

            “Peace,” Xavier waved good-bye as he and Nico walked out of the building.

            “Man, I don’t think Reggie should have that solo,” Nico said as they walked down the street. “The word ‘stop’ isn’t in his vocabulary.”

            “Well, I mean come on,” said Xavier. “Sure he’s loud and excessive, but he has the time of his life when he’s up there playing his drums.”

            “That’s true. But he can be a pain sometimes, he’s such a flake.”

            “I know. But think about Taylor—he’s had to live with him for, like, the past fourteen years.”

            “Yeah, and his parents the past…I don’t know, sixteen years.”

            The two walked on until they exchanged high fives and split off to take different buses.

            Every time the two made any physical contact, Nico couldn’t help but blush, look up and smile. He liked the way Xavier’s tough, callused fingers felt against his soft, small hands whenever they gave each other high fives. Nico wondered if Xavier liked his hands as well. Xavier seemed to dismiss high-fives as mere hellos and good-byes and congratulations. But whenever Nico took the opportunity to feel Xavier’s hand brush up against his, he considered it a thrill. Nico walked to his bus stop, beaming all the way home.

###

            On Monday afternoon the clock read 5:30, signaling the end of band practice.

            “Hey X,” said Nico as he walked into the room to get a drum piece. “When do you think we can have another rehearsal?”

            Xavier thought for a moment. “I was thinking probably tomorrow after school and then Saturday at my house at three o’clock just to brush up.”

            “Okay, better tattoo that on Reggie’s forehead,” Nico joked.

            Xavier rolled his eyes, “Well, we could also—,”

            CRASH!

            The resounding racket made Nico jump. He and Xavier quickly glanced down the hall only to realize someone had dropped some pieces of the drum set.

            “Haha, you hella smooth!” Nico turned around and called out from the room. He looked at Xavier. “What were you saying?”

            Taylor burst into the room. “Someone call 9-1-1! Reggie’s having a seizure!”

            Nico’s heart leapt into his throat. Some students who were left in the building started toward the commotion. “What is it?” “A seizure?” “Oh, shit that’s Reggie!” They exchanged glances of panic and fled down the hall. One pulled out his cell phone and pressed it three times with his twitching thumb.

            Reggie lay face down on the floor, surrounded by dislodged cymbals and a snare. His body was stretched loosely across the floor, but his head tightly jammed itself against the doorframe. His arms were at his sides as he gasped for air but couldn’t open his mouth to breathe. The veins in his forehead popped out and turned purple from the effort. Blood smeared down the doorframe and ended in a pool on the floor beside his head.

            “…Yeah, yeah, we’re on Sicamore Avenue, we’re in the Creative Arts Building on the third floor…” the kid on his cell phone controlled his trembling voice while he talked.

            When the paramedics arrived, they asked around if anyone knew Reggie’s medical insurance plan or if he had any medical conditions. Out of all the kids on the third floor, no one claimed to know anything. They all just said they had never seen Reggie have a seizure before. The paramedics examined Reggie for spinal or head injuries. Nothing was harmed. When they picked him up to load him onto the stretcher, Reggie’s mouth gave way to white, bubbly drool. He winced and his eyes blinked through his caked blood. When they secured him, his breathing slowed and he calmed down. Taylor followed the paramedics down the hallway as they carried his brother into the ambulance.

            Everyone stared after them, panic-stricken, as they returned to their classrooms and their activities. Nico and Xavier finished dismantling the rest of the drum set and the instruments into the storage room and left. When Nico was finished, he leaned against the wall, befuddled, and stared off. Did Reggie just get strapped onto a stretcher and carried off by the paramedics? Nico felt a brush against his shoulder and jumped when Xavier touched him.

            “Hey,” said Xavier, patting Nico’s shoulder. “You feeling alright?”

            “He was bleeding,” Nico said softly.

            “Only from his nose. And remember, he had no major injuries.”

            “Yeah, sure,” Nico smiled. Xavier’s touch and his glimmer of hope brightened Nico’s spirits. What an uncannily strong conscience Xavier had! After seeing his friend on the ground in his own blood, Xavier didn’t come close to losing his cool. As Xavier walked past him and left the building, Nico caught a whiff of Xavier’s sweat. Nico inhaled deeply and savored the scent. With Xavier there for Nico, everything was going to be all right.

            ###

            It was after dinner and Nico sat at his desk with a stack of homework. Restlessly into the night, he pondered the answers to yesterday’s late math homework. Suddenly, the phone rang. Nico’s mother picked it up.

            “Nico, it’s for you,” she said as she walked up the stairs to Nico’s room.

            Nico opened his door and took the portable phone. “Hello?”

            “Hey, Nico,” said the voice on the other end. “This is Taylor.”

            “Oh hey, Taylor, how’s it going?” chimed Nico.

            “It’s…it’s going good,” said Taylor. “Reggie has to stay overnight in the hospital. He can’t come to school tomorrow.”

            Nico gasped, “Oh my God. What’s wrong?”

            “Nothing’s wrong,” Taylor swallowed. “He’s getting treatment, that’s why he has to stay. And, uh, what happened at practice today, well, Reggie was taking some medication for his hyperactivity,” said Taylor. “And, like, the other day he took too much and that’s why he had a seizure.”

            Nico blinked, “Oh.” Reggie’s hyperactive? Shit.

            “Yeah, it was an overdose, basically,” said Taylor. “But they’re gonna let him out tomorrow afternoon.”

            “Oh, well that’s good.”

            “So yeah,” Taylor paused. “Well, I gotta go and finish my homework. I just wanted to let you know about Reggie.”

            “All right, thanks.”

            “Oh, wait,” said Taylor. “Uh, make sure to keep this under your hat—don’t tell anyone.”

            “Oh, no problem.”

            “Thanks. See you tomorrow.”

            “Peace.”

            Nico hung up the phone. I should’ve known. Why didn’t he tell anybody before? I shouldn’t have said all those things about him. Nico distractedly tried to finish his homework. After half an hour of toiling with the same problem, he gave up, went to lie down for a moment and drifted off to sleep.

###

            Two days later, the quartet was hesitant at first to have a rehearsal, knowing about Reggie’s health. But Reggie’s parents and his doctor gave him permission to play the drums again, so the quartet had their rehearsal after school. As usual, Xavier called the group to order. Everyone tuned, warmed up, and got ready to practice a new song.

            “This is a funk tune,” said Xavier. “So Reggie, give us some medium, laid-back funk.”

            “Aw, really?” Reggie’s face lit up. “I’m ‘bout to lay down this fat beat, yo!” Reggie exclaimed and thrashed excitedly through each cymbal and each tom. Nico and Taylor rolled their eyes.

            “Reggie, Reggie,” Xavier laughed and shook his head. “Wait till I tell you to.”

            The band members threw fewer commands at Reggie to contain himself. Whenever they did, they weren’t the usual “shut-up’s” or “get a hold of yourself’s.” Each one of them knew about Reggie but was told to keep it under his hat.

###

            As planned, Xavier and Nico started their rehearsal at Xavier’s house. At three-thirty, Reggie and Taylor still hadn’t arrived, which was no surprise to Xavier and Nico. The two decided to work on their songs by themselves anyway, and they ended up jamming. After twenty minutes of rocking and shredding and swinging, the two showered each other with praise.

            “That was hella tight, Nico!” Xavier exclaimed as he posed for a high five.

            “Naw, X,” Nico shook his head as put down his saxophone. “You were a boss!” He gave Xavier a high five. The smell of Xavier’s sweat rushed into Nico’s face. He savored again it and wanted to get closer to it, closer to Xavier and feel how damp he was. There’s no one else in the house. Still holding Xavier’s hand, Nico started to move in when the phone rang.  Xavier removed himself, walked down the hallway and picked it up.  

            “Hello?...Oh, hey, what’s up, Taylor…What?....Another one?...Didn’t he switch medication?”

            Nico walked out the room, toward Xavier.

            “He forgot to switch? How….” Xavier continued, “When was this? Where are you?”

            Nico reached for Xavier’s shoulder to calm him down. Xavier withdrew. Nico stood and stared at him, shocked.

            “What’s wrong? Why can’t they, like….Oh,” Xavier’s speech slowed and his voice softened. “Okay. Call me back when you get home…Yeah, bye.” He hung up. He hobbled over to the piano bench, ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the floor.

            “What’s going on?” Nico asked.

            “Reggie had another seizure. This time it’s bad.”

            Nico walked over to Xavier, keeping his distance lest Xavier aggressed again. “Well, what happened? Is he going to be all right?”

            “How should I know?” Xavier snapped, turning to Nico. “Not even the doctors know.”

            “Xav—,”

            “Just…it’s okay, I’m…” Xavier broke his gaze. “I just have…a lot to think about…” His voice disintegrated, as if it were being blocked by a swelling in his throat.

            Nico wanted to sit beside him, reach out and embrace him, like he had wanted to do all along. But all Nico could do was just stand, aghast, unable to move, and stare at the helpless wreck in the living room. Where was his uncannily strong conscience now? Nico knew what he had to do and he had no choice.

            “Come on, Xavier.” He gathered up the courage to touch him on the shoulder.

            Xavier blinked. “Yeah, okay.”

            “Don’t expect the worst. We can visit him.”

            “Right.”

            Xavier got up with Nico. They started out of the house and towards the hospital. The two walked on but didn’t have to split off or exchange high-fives.

 

 

            People who are hyperactive or who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are sometimes treated with tricyclic antidepressants. Overdose of TCAs can lead to problems in the central nervous system and the heart and can cause drowsiness, dry mouth, nausea, or vomiting. Under severe circumstances, TCA overdose can cause hypotension, irregular cardiac rhythm, hallucinations and seizures. Initial treatment for TCA overdose is gastric decontamination of the patient. Treatment usually takes at least 24 hours.