THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Life In Academy III

After working out at the gym, Zachary and his flatmates pedaled bicycles to TIS—Trandelag International School.

He's been used to riding his bike outdoors for hours over the past year. Riding a bike is freedom. It had become his way of moving quickly through the streets of Trondheim.

"F! When will the rain stop?" Paul, who was riding beside him, swore loudly as they turned the corner and headed towards the narrow asphalt road that connected the main Festningsgata road to their school.

Rain fell from the white sky—the velvet ceiling steadily and gently. The days in Trondheim begin to fade—as the inevitable winter draws near, each night arriving sooner than ever. The warm days of summer are long gone.

"Stop complaining and just go up" Kendrick snapped from behind Zachary. "It's almost 10, and we're almost late for class."

"OK, Okay," cried Paul, glancing back at his brother. "Let's race to see who will reach the school gates first. The loser cleaned the bathroom this week." He grinned from ear to ear.

"Friends, is this a deal?" He asked, making his bike stop all of a sudden. The other three followed and braked beside him.

"Agreed." Kasongo and Kendrick nodded in unison before preparing to start the race.

"What about you?" Paul turned towards Zachary as he tightened his jacket. The Swede was also preparing for a small race.

"I'm going to race" Zachary replied. "But there is no penalty or bathroom cleaning for the losers. We have to keep a tight rotation of who's cleaning the apartment every week. That's the only fair way."

"Zak." Paul took a breath. "You're not fun."

"Let's race without punishment" Kendrick said, agreeing with Zachary.

"This time, I won" said Kasongo, gripping his bicycle handlebars tighter.

"You wish..."

"Friends," Kendrick said, his tone impatient. "We have to go to school before class starts."

"Three, two, one, and go" cried Paul before leaving and preceding the other. Another boy followed him. Their bicycle wheels rolled over on the wet track, their speed bringing cold rain splashing onto their faces much harder than if they had just walked. Their waterproof outerwear has long failed to keep their bodies dry, making their pants wet like their legs.

Their race through the rain managed to get them to the school gate in less than four minutes. Kendrick Otterson first, his second brother, Zachary third, and Kasongo last.

Zachary was unceasingly astonished by how quickly his two Swedish housemates were able to ride a bike even though they were much slower than him on foot. He sometimes pondered how they might be better off as professional cyclists than footballers.

"My bike is not in the best condition." Kasongo sighed. "Otherwise, I'll cover the distance in less than a minute" he added in a serious tone. Others ignored him because it was not the first time he had blamed losing his equipment.

They drove quietly across the school grounds at moderate speed. The courtyard is a lushly planted garden with a fine white stone walkway located on several winding paths above it. Due to the rain, no students were sitting around on benches, chatting, reading, or eating packaged snacks. It seemed like they were all in three buildings, 3 stories tall, surrounding the spacious u-shaped courtyard.

Zachary parked his bike in the bike room and took off his waterproof outerwear. She then follows her flat friends through a large glass door— into the building containing her classroom.

Inside, the buzz of conversation from the rushing and frenzied students in the corridor attacked him. They seem to be in one of the ten-minute breaks at the end of each lesson. A lively crowd of young students from various countries filled the hallway. Chaos is perfect, like a movie. Friends greet each other with hugs—or playful blows while the newcomers stand with frightened faces.

Most of the students gave way as Zachary and his flatmates passed through the hallway to the stairs at the end of the building. Sports students with scholarships garner a lot of respect from their peers. Zachary rarely faced any bullying despite being relatively new to school.

But there are always exceptions to the norm.

As they climbed the stairs to the next floor, a group of students, one year older than them, blocked their steps. Grant Anderson, Rosenborg's U-19 substitute goalkeeper, descended the stairs in front of his small three-man troupe, his lips curling into a wide grin.

"Well, okay—what do we have here?" She said. "Two wannabees from the third world pit accompanied by their two loser friends. What can I say? Rosenborg has fallen very far to include you as one of the potential players." The sycophant laughed at the comment as if he had just listened to a funny monologue brought by Eddie Murphy. Zachary wondered how adults could find such nonsense funny.

"This is the idiot who ruined our day" whispered Paul. "I just don't understand why the school didn't take it out." He groans.

"Disregard him" said Kendrick, his voice a little slow. "With the support of his father, he would never be expelled no matter what he did."

Zachary didn't even stop his climb to glance at Grant. He had long been accustomed to the constant insults of the tall Caucasian goalkeeper.

Following Kendrick, Zachary avoided the silhouette of the goalkeeper and continued to climb the stairs. He could not waste his precious time on a useless quarrel with a jealous teenager.

However, Kasongo and Paul stopped and stared intently at Grant. The latter licked his lips and said in a sharp tone: "Grant, someday, I will hit you so badly that not even your mother will recognize you. Keep insulting me—and you will get what will happen. You." The Swede snorted before moving past the goalkeeper.

"Casongo!" Zachary turned around, looking towards the boy still facing Grant, who was standing almost a foot taller than him. "Have you come? We have less than ten minutes before the lesson starts."

Kasongo secretly gritted his teeth in frustration before following Paul Otterson up the stairs.

"Coward was born a loser, from a loser mother," Grant scorned, as Kasongo and Paul were only steps away from him.

The two stopped in the middle of the stairs before turning around. "Tell me that again," growled Paul, clenching his fists.