THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

After the chat with Coach Johansen, the night proceeded in a way Zachary could not have envisioned. It all started with Mikael and Nicki suggesting that the team check out another happening place to continue having a good time right after the coaches' departure. At the urging of the majority, Zachary and a few other teammates that were initially against the idea, of course, went with the flow. That marked the start of a wild night.

After coming to a consensus, the squad made quick work of the remaining slices of pizza. They finished eating within fifteen minutes and headed to a more popular pub called Familien on the team bus.

On reaching there, Zachary was surprised by the long queue they encountered at the entrance. It was a dazzling sight, beginning at the entrance and extending in one long stretch all the way to the far boundary of another block. Zachary was about to suggest finding another place rather than waiting in line to enter the pub. It seemed like a good excuse for him to ditch his peers and head back to his apartment to grab some sleep. Despite agreeing to check out the pub, he still had reservations about partying immediately after a match.

But, unfortunately for him, both the bouncers and the people waiting in line recognized that it was the Rosenborg squad that'd just arrived almost immediately. What followed were a few moments of turbulent excitement at the entrance of the Familien Pub. And Zachary could no longer escape.

"Shalalalala Oh Rosenborg... Shalalalala Oh Rosenborg..."

"Zachary, nice play in today's game..."

"Nicki, nice goal..."

Among the party-goers in the long line, there seemed to be a good number of Rosenborg fans. Those fans soon started chorusing Rosenborg's victory chants and yelling out the names of some of the players. Some even decided to leave their places in line to get closer to Zachary and his teammates. It became increasingly chaotic at the front of the bar to the point that the bouncers had to wave Zachary and company—inside right away—to prevent the situation from escalating. The bouncers didn't even ask for identity cards before letting them through the entrance.

****    ****

"Did you guys notice that Zachary was with the group of Rosenborg players that just entered?" A short black young man close to the back of the queue at the Familien Pub entrance asked his two counterparts. He was Kasongo Paul, and with him were the two brothers, Paul and Kendrick Otterson, all Zachary's former flatmates and teammates back in the academy.

"I think that was him, certainly." Paul Otterson responded, his voice tinged with astonishment. "That tall frame that looms above everyone else, plus his Afro hair and brown skin—that's Zachary."

"Did the sun set in the East today?" Kendrick asked, smiling. "How is it that Zachary is at a nightclub? That's a miracle in itself."

"My thoughts exactly," Kasongo replied, grinning. "He must be super excited after scoring that hat-trick. Maybe that's why he's out to celebrate tonight."

"I doubt that," Kendrick said, shaking his head. "Zachary is the sort of person who would celebrate his hat-trick by adding more hours to his training sessions. He wouldn't go to a nightclub just because he managed to bag three goals in a match. It has never happened before. I'm pretty sure he would rather be doing yoga right now instead of being here at Familien."

"Have you forgotten there'll be a break in the Tippeligaen fixtures for the next few weeks," Kasongo said. "Since he's got a lot of free time on his hands, maybe he decided to celebrate with his teammates."

"Or maybe, he's here for a girl," Paul chimed in, grinning like a rogue. "Hot girls are the only thing that can make intense players like him break their habits."

"Zachary here for a girl!" Kendrick said, giving his brother an arch look. "That's even more unlikely."

The others laughed at that.

"So, do you guys think we should change places since he's already inside?" Paul Otterson queried, furrowing his brow.

"Why?" Both Kendrik and Kasongo asked, fixing their gazes on him.

"Of course, to avoid him, silly," Paul replied, shaking his head. "If we run into him here, he may start lecturing us on how we're ignoring our own training and instead choosing to club all the time? So, I suggest that we find another place for today."

The other two fell silent for a moment, seemingly giving earnest thought to Paul Otterson's proposal as the queue at the pub entrance continued moving forward.

The three of them had just made it onto the under-19 team two days prior. They'd decided to go out and celebrate that Saturday. But they didn't expect to come across the Rosenborg senior team, which had just played an away game against Vålerenga in Oslo only a few hours prior.

Moreover, Zachary, their former captain, who they had also taken as a role model, was among the players that'd just entered the club. Since they didn't want to come off as party-goers neglecting their duties as athletes, they were considering switching to another discotheque like Downtown or Studentersamfundet to avoid running into him.

"So, guys," Paul Otterson said after a while. "What do you think? Should we go somewhere else? You guys need to decide quickly because the line is moving forward fast."

"Nah," Kasongo replied, smiling and shaking his head after a while. "After giving it some thought, I don't think we should change places. Moreover, I'm sure Zachary won't judge us solely based on our going into a club to celebrate our advancement to the under-19 team. Instead, he'll be happy for us and might buy us a few drinks."

"I think so too," Kendrick echoed. "Avoiding a friend just because we don't want him to think badly of us is simply childish. We should instead be looking forward to seeing him when we get inside. It has really been long since we last saw him."

"Okay, then," Paul said, sighing. "But if he asks whose idea it was for us to come here, we shall all say Kasongo. We have to agree on that, at the very least."

"Relax," Kendrick said, patting his brother's shoulder. "He isn't our coach. So, will you cut down on the pressure and relax?"

"Guys," Kasongo said from in front of them. "It's almost our turn to enter. Get ready."

"Okay."

"Okay."

****    ****