NO FLOURISH WITHOUT FLAWS

STILL IN BED

The rays from the sun shimmered right into Lavezzi's face from his top bunk. He opened his eyes, looked at his mini-clock, and hissed in disgust.

"f**k! It's almost time for training. But I still feel very sleepy. I don't know why today's training was scheduled this early! My body demands more rest." He muttered before covering himself with his blanket and closing his eyes again.

As he continued to enjoy his sleep, he rolled from one side of the bed to the other. His roommate, Henrique, had just come out of the shower. With some droplets of water still on his body and a sparkling white towel around his waist, he entered back into the room. In a hurry, he approached his closet to grab a new pair of underwear. After thoroughly searching his closet, he remembered leaving it on the table beside his bed last night.

"Damn! It should have come to my memory earlier that the underwear isn't here. Now, my closet is scattered. Well, it's going to remain like this until I get back. I'm already running late for training." He said, before walking eagerly to the table.

Unsurprisingly, he found them right there. He unpacked it quickly, wore his boxers, then pulled off his towel before wearing his singlet. Heading back to his closet, he began to hear some squeaky sound. He turned back only to discover it was Lavezzi snoring and rolling aimlessly on the bed.

"This boy really befuddles me. How can he still be in bed by this time? Doesn't he know training will soon commence? Anyway, he's always late to everything. I shouldn't be shocked." He muttered under his breath before going back to his closet.

In his usual fashion, he put on a black pair of jeans and matched it with a white top and a multicolored pair of sneakers. After filling his snap bag with some cleats and training kits, he backed it and was ready to leave. Lavezzi released a loud fart that halted Henrique's movement towards the door.

"My goodness! I'm about to leave, but he's still on the bed releasing the nastiest fart. What an unserious lad. I've gotten him up now," he said.

Approaching his bunk, Lavezzi's bum let loose again. This time, he dropped a series of silent flatulence that gradually stunk up the whole room. When Henrique perceived a rotten-egg-like smell, he retraced his steps and rushed out of the room.

"Only the good Lord knows what he'd eaten yesterday that's making him stink up the place effortlessly. I have to wait here for that deadly smell coming out of that room to vanish completely before heading back inside. With the way he sleeps deeply, if I don't wake him, he'll miss training." He said out loud while shaking his head in disappointment.

Still at the balcony, he engaged in a sprint to pass some time. With two rounds of sprints completed, he opened the door halfway. The room didn't have any more offensive odor, so he walked back in. To be safe, he brought out a fragrance pack and hung it on the wall before going over to the bunk.

"Lavezzi! Lavezzi! Will you wake up now?" He shouted while tapping him consistently on his belly.

He partially opened his eyes for a bit. Then he changed his sleeping position by lying on his back. With several hits to his back without responding, Henrique got fed up. He took his speaker from the drawer and placed it right beside Lavezzi's ear. After connecting his phone's Bluetooth to that of the speaker, he blasted a song.

"Aaaarggghhh! Are you flipping crazy? Do you want to burst my eardrum? " Lavezzi yelled, then switched off the speaker angrily.

"That's the only way I could have gotten you to wake up. I'm about to leave for training, but you are still in bed. What's wrong with you?"

Lavezzi grabbed his left arm and gazed at his watch.

"Wow! Time truly waits for no man. It's really passed by so swiftly. I don't think I can make it to training anymore."

"Can you hear yourself? We have an important game tomorrow against the defending champions, the very first match of the season, and you're thinking of missing our last training session. Are you mentally unstable?"

"Do I look like one? Please, don't get me infuriated. Truly, we can't afford to lose against Venezia F.C. Watching them lift the title last season was an excruciating experience. You can make your way down to the Maza training complex; I'll join you soon. I'm the poster boy of Como F.C. Going to trainings early or late doesn't affect me. I'll still be in the starting XI regardless."

"And that's my problem with you. We all know you're the best player on our team, but your mentality is s**t! Just take a good look at your idol—Cristiano Ronaldo. Do you think he became one of the greatest footballers of all time by attending trainings anytime he likes? Or having a shitty mentality and attitude as yours? You're my buddy, so I must be frank with you. If your aim is to reclaim our title and win the Serie B player of the season—an award you haven't won—you must buckle down, avoid complacency, and stop being a lazy ass. That's my piece of advice for you. Goodbye," Henrique concluded, before dashing off.

His mean but brutally honest advice hit Lavezzi hard. Exactly like a slug to the chest. He jumped down from his bunk. Starred at his mirror while self-reflecting.

"Without my superb footballing ability, I'd have been doomed. Everyone knows I detest training sessions. They extremely irk me, hence I'm very lackadaisical towards them. Conversely, I turn up on match days when my team really needs me. That, for me, is the most important. "The end always justifies the means," he murmured.

Instead of having his shower, Lavezzi rinsed off only his face to save some time. While getting dressed, he stood directly under the ceiling fan to have his face dried. In a blink of an eye, he was ready to leave. After all the lights and appliances got switched off, he stormed out of the room. Lavezzi's name was chanted several times as soon as he stepped into the campus shuttle. His popularity knew no bounds around the campus because of his stupendous footballing talent. With a little smile on his face, he waved back at them. Lavezzi's handsome-looking face was difficult to resist. His female fans rushed towards him to get either a hug or a photo with him. He obliged only a few who looked beautiful while snubbing the rest. The humongous number of students waiting to get a bus at the campus shuttle made him change his mode of transportation. He left the shuttle and hopped on a motorbike to the Maza training complex. The training session had already begun when he arrived.

"I haven't sighted our manager. Good for me. Now is the perfect time to join up with my teammates." Lavezzi grinned.

Strolling nonchalantly onto the training pitch, his name was yelled twice.