THE 90 PERCENT | joe burrow

all the bets & all the best

After the game, we all headed to a milkshake bar that Ja'Marr was convinced was even better than the outside food truck place we went to last week. 

I highly doubted that. I was still having dreams of that Korean BBQ. God, it was so amazing. 

Leo asked if he could ride with the guys, so it was just Aria and I in the car. 

"Girl, you okay?" I asked her as we pulled into a parking space that was right next to the milkshake bar. Joe reach across the car and honked at me for taking their spot. 

I scrunched my nose at him. 

"I died dead. You couldn't have told me Joe was coming?" She asked. I put up my hands in protest and said that I didn't invite him. She lectured me for that. If it were her choice, he'd live with us, and that was NOT happening. 

Once we got into the diner and found a booth large enough to fit us all, all the guys were making their suggestions on what Leo, Aria, and I should order. They must be regulars. 

Sam suggested the strawberry, Evan said chocolate, and Tee told me to go with the mint chip. 

"Mint chip?" I scrutinized him for the worst flavor on the menu. "It tastes like toothpaste." Tee put his hand on his heart like I had just hit him with a bullet. I cracked up.

"Thank you, someone agrees with me." Joe muttered, while scanning the menu himself. "Cookie dough's the only way to go."

I gave Aria and Leo my credit card and they went to order theirs while I looked over the options for the millionth time.

"I'm going to pound this milkshake." I stated. 

"No way you could do that, the milkshakes here are huge." Joe argued with me, just to elicit a reaction from me. 

"Want to bet?" I asked, half joking.

"Always." But he was serious.

He pointed to the clock and then started, "10 minutes and if you finish it, whatever you want. And if I win you come to every home game in my jersey."

There was no way I was losing this bet and giving him the satisfaction of seeing his last name on me. That would be ego overload for him.

He put out his hand for me to shake and used his other hand to rush me to find something I wanted. "Do you have a private chef?" It was a dumb question, that was a definitive yes.

He nodded, but looked at me like I was plotting something. "I want for a whole week someone else to make lunches for Leo and Aria. They're getting tired of PB&J and left over pizza."

I shook his hand and went to go order everyone's drinks. Joe followed and stuck out his credit card before I could pay. I scowled at him. 

Leo and Aria came back to the table, unaware of our little bet and why I was drinking a milkshake at god speed. 

I was halfway done by the 3 minute mark, but the thick shake became increasingly harder to shove down as the sugar was upsetting my stomach.

I was almost done with 30 seconds or so left. I just had a couple more sips.

I tried SO hard to shove them down, but the clock ticked and when I showed Ja'Marr the cup, he couldn't even lie for me. 

Joe smirked at me, not wanting to let me siblings in on the "inside joke" that was only funny for him. 

"Hey Leo, Aria, want to go to the game on Sunday?" They nodded like their heads were going to come off their hinges.

"You're paying." I mouthed to Burrow. He looked smug.