Chapter 40: First Day Of School
Amani stared at the ceiling of his apartment, unable to sleep.
The room was silent except for the occasional rustling of blankets as he turned from one side to the other or Malik’s snoring. His body was exhausted from training, but his mind wouldn’t stop.
Tomorrow, school starts.
He had played in front of scouts, battled against Ajax’s academy, and even scored a last-minute winner. But this? This made his stomach twist in a way football never did.
His eyes flickered toward the desk in the corner of his room. The school papers Kristen had given him lay there, neatly stacked.
St. Bonifatius College.
Dutch. Mathematics. English. History. Social Studies. Physical Education.
Amani closed his eyes, and that’s when the past came flooding back.
Years Ago in Kenya. Amani sat in the back of a stuffy classroom, doodling formations on the edge of his notebook. The sun baked the tin roof, making the air thick and heavy. His uniform was too tight, his chair too stiff.
At the front of the room, his teacher scribbled something about algebra on the blackboard. The numbers blurred together.
Amani didn’t care. He had a match after school. That’s all that mattered. After finishing primary school and entering secondary school, education became redundant to him.