THE 90 PERCENT | joe burrow

the end of the bet

Things hadn't been great after New Years. Joe was a lot colder than usual and when I didn't show up to their last home game of the season, it only made it worse. 

"Hey." I texted him after the loss. He didn't say anything back and then he ignored me the entire week at work. 

The night before the playoff game, he came over to my house clearly upset. "Why didn't you come? We lost because you weren't there."

"Is that what matters? You winning?"

"No, what matters is when I stepped off the field I saw Ja'Marr with his hands up not knowing where you were. I would've gone 0-18 if it meant you showed up to every game." My heart dropped at his comment, this is exactly what I didn't want. 

"I'm sorry."

"No, why didn't you come?"

"I was tired, didn't sleep well the night before." I gave him a BS answer. He knew it was lies.

He just looked down at me until I said something else. "Because I'm really terrified of getting attached. I told myself I wasn't going to do that with you."

"What do you mean attached?"

"God, you just don't understand do you? Everyone was right about you and I was wrong."

"Wrong about what?" I was so frustrated with all of his questions.

"That you're intolerable.. because I clearly haven't felt that these last few weeks. Everyone loves you and I wanted to not be able to understand it, but it's so hard not to."

"So you're upset that everyone likes me?" He asked confused.

"No! I'm upset because I do too." I practically shouted at him.

-----

Joe 

I didn't know what to think of her last words. "No I'm upset because I do too."

I should've known what she meant, but I couldn't tell if she meant in the way I thought she did or in a more serious way. Either way, I hated that she felt so down right now.

"I just want to go back to bed." She said with a recognize-able pain in her eyes. She shut the front door and I heard her footsteps trace farther into her house.  

There was no way I was winning the game tomorrow.

I called Ja'Marr on the way home utterly confused, but he didn't answer. 

He was probably busy with Ivy or something, I didn't know. 

The day night was longer than it should have been. I was up practically the whole time trying to make sense of why she'd push me away because she was "attached" to me. 

The next day, Coach Taylor could sense something was off and he told me to "lock in and focus" that was easier said then done. 

We played the Ravens and were down by 2 touchdowns and a field goal at halftime. Our whole season gone, just because I couldn't focus.

It wasn't Amelia's fault, but I so wished that wouldn't have happened. 

We were in the locker room and I had my head in my hands. Ja'Marr shouted that my phone was ringing, it was probably my mom. He answered it for me and pressed the phone to my ear for me to hold. 

"Please win." It was Amelia's voice. "I'd never be able to forgive myself if I even played the smallest part in you not achieving your new years resolution. You deserve it more than anyone." She paused, but before I could speak continued, "Well that's all I have to say. Leo keeps yelling at the TV, "pass to Ja'Marr" so maybe do that as well?" She hung up before I could say anything.