Football and Consequences

James was fired up because the Kansas City Chiefs had made it to the Super Bowl, and this was his year to win. Every football season for the past 20 years, he and his best friend, Steven, had the same friendly wager: they’d each pick a team before the playoffs started, and whoever’s team made it further or won it all got to watch the other suffer through the ultimate punishment.

The bet was simple but brutal. The loser had to eat a plate of spicy buffalo wings with no water, milk or anything to take the heat away for a full ten minutes. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, they also had to wear the winner’s team jersey and chant, over and over, about how they were the loser and would “make a better choice next year.” It was humiliating, but the tradition made watching the playoffs even more intense.

James had always been the one to come out on top in these bets, mostly because Steven was ridiculously loyal to the Philadelphia Eagles. No matter how good or bad they looked, he picked them every single year. It was almost too easy. So this time, James got cocky. He knew Steven would pick the Eagles again, so he decided to take things up a notch. He personally prepared a special batch of extra spicy buffalo wings, using every fiery pepper and hot sauce he could get his hands on. If Steven lost this year...again he was going to feel the burn worse than ever before.

As usual, they watched the game together, a spread of wings, nachos, and drinks between them. They always had a blast debating the various commercials, arguing over which one deserved the title of best commercial, even though they never bet on it. Their tastes were too different; James loved the funny ones, while Steven preferred the cinematic, emotional ones.

But as the game wore on, James started to feel uneasy. By the halftime show, the Chiefs were struggling, and the Eagles were looking sharper than he’d expected. His confidence wavered. This wasn’t going to be the easy win he had counted on.

By the fourth quarter, James could barely sit still. Every play had his heart pounding, every bad call had him shouting at the TV. But no amount of yelling could change the inevitable when the clock hit zero; the Eagles had won.

James just sat there, staring at the screen in disbelief while Steven erupted into cheers, arms raised in victory. “Oh man,” Steven said, barely able to contain himself. “This is the best day of my life.”

James groaned, already regretting his earlier overconfidence. Moments later, Steven gleefully handed him an Eagles jersey, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. “Go on, put it on,” he said, enjoying every second of James’ misery. Then, with even more enthusiasm, he slid the plate of extra spicy buffalo wings in front of him.

“And don’t forget; ten minutes. No water. Let’s hear that chant, buddy.”

James took a deep breath, staring down at the fiery red wings, feeling the heat rise; just from the smell alone he could taste the spices on the wings. This was going to be the longest ten minutes of his life.