THE 90 PERCENT | joe burrow

roadtrippin '23 w/ mack mania

I woke up in the morning to people gawking at me like I was in a fishbowl. It might have been my hair, or the fact I sleep talk, but they were staring at the person next to me as well.

"Can I just wake up in peace?" They laughed and pointed towards Joe.

"It's all your guys' fault, I had a perfect plan of sleeping on my own bed alone, but ya'll took it, so thanks a lot, thanks a lot." I slammed my head into the pillow and that woke up Joe. 

"Can you guys just not this early in the morning?" He asked them, they started to head away but they each tapped me on the head to say happy birthday guys. 

Ivy must have told them. But I didn't understand the "guys" part. 

I turned to Joe confused. "My birthday was on the 10th but I don't like celebrating in the middle of December football so I always use Christmas as a reason to celebrate."

"Happy birthday Joey B."

"No today's your day."

"Can't it be both? It's Christmas Eve as well, how perfect is that?" 

He smiled, "Very perfect."

We stopped there. I got up to get dressed. I got the black shirt and black loose jeans out of my suitcase and then got dressed in the bathroom. 

I put on his beanie again. 

The addiction really wasn't good for my mental health or ability to continue hating him, but I couldn't not wear it either.

He was gone by the time I got out to the main hotel room. I went to check on Leo and Aria who had a card in their hand when I came in. 

"Happy birthday Am." They both wrapped their arms around me and we stayed like that for a couple of seconds. 

"Thank you guys." It felt wrong that it was just the 3 of us. Every birthday would be hard from here on out. 

"Have they told you about the roadtrip yet?" I shook my head confused. 

"We're driving back to Cincinnati together instead of flying!" Aria exclaimed. I mouthed an "oh really" preparing to kill Ivy. 

I loved roadtrips, but 5 hours with a lot of people?! But my siblings had already built up their anticipation, so I couldn't say no now. 

Ivy texted me to meet them all down in the lobby and Ja'Marr had a bag in his hand ready to give to me. "Did you miss telling them the part that I hate birthdays?" I said audibly. 

"It's just something small, don't worry." He told me, I wasn't convinced. I pulled a wrapped item out of the bag. It was flat and rectangular. 

It was two picture frames. One had a bunch of polaroids in them that I didn't even know were taken and the other had the selfie of all of us yesterday. 

"How did you?" I looked at the polaroids. There was one of Leo, Aria, and I running around like maniacs, another had Sam and Tee giving me fist bumps before the game, the 3rd was of me trying to kick a field goal and Evan visibly laughing at me, and the last Joe was towering over me trying to show me how to hold the football. I was looking back up at him. 

"Ivy took all the polaroids while you weren't looking and we ran to Walgreens to print out the other photo a couple minutes ago."

My eyes were watering. I turned my head up so it wouldn't ruin the light mascara I had on. 

"Not cool guys. Not cool man." I said trying to juggle the water threatening to come out of my eyes and the fact my nose wanted to run like crazy now.