It had been a long couple of days. The game Saturday night, the early shoot around, the flight, getting work done on his back, and then getting settled at the hotel was a bit tiring. He'd set up breakfast with his step-dad for tomorrow morning, secured seats for the basketball team Stephen coached, and given a quick interview to ESPN where he'd not so subtly jabbed at Derrick Anderson and the culture of NYC. I'd rather be a team of 13 hardworking guys than a group of four superstars. Who do you think in the end is going to come out on top? No, there was no love lost between him and Derrick. But after all of that, it felt good to just relax for a bit. As much as fun as it would be to hit one of the clubs to go hang and watch the Super Bowl with the guys, he wanted to hang with Lizzie more than immersing himself in the New York sports club culture for a night.

He'd texted Lizzie the information at the hotel and told the desk to let her up if they were stopping people. Now he just had to wait for her to show so he settled at the table in the room and went through the foundation papers, making it as easy as he could for her and whatever groups she worked with to fill it all out. Kevin and Eric were giving him shit about his "Date" and all his denails and rolling of his eyes didn't matter in the end. As much as he really cared about Julie, his stomach did flip flops when he thought of Lizzie. She was smart, sassy, absolutely beautiful, and it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't a part of the music or athletic scene. Not that he'd dare make any move, but he couldn't deny the rush he felt when he thought of her - despite her father's warnings. It was a good thing she probably didn't feel the same way, he'd be able to just channel the hormones into kicking ass on the court.

beyondthehoop is the journal for the story of Luke Gadling, the point guard for the Salt Lake City Starz. The son of late musician Marc Gadling, Luke has risen to the spotlight in his own right.

This journal is designed for updates from the writer. For Luke's rather regular posting, check out openveinwriting.

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