Out on the Field

Chapter 38

Colby's POV

Clara and I stood in our hotel room and I was very nervous with it being draft night. I was invited to come to the draft and it was going to be a lot of fun but I was scared. Clara could see that my hands were shaking.

"Look, you are going to be drafted and it is going to be great," she said.

I nodded but I still couldn't calm my nerves. Clara wrapped me in a tight hug and it helped a bit but I was still very nervous. Grandma and Jack joined us and I pulled my suit jacket on and we headed out of the hotel. I wrapped arm around Clara and tried to calm myself down.

I had to take photos for the media before heading inside. The first people that I ran into were my parents and Adam.

"You need to come and join us. There are people asking questions," Dad said.

"This is going to be a good night for me and I'm not going to let you ruin it," I said.

I really wanted this night to be fun and I wasn't going to spend any time with Adam or my parents.

"Let them ask questions. I don't care," I said and moved away from them.

The draft started not long later and the Jaguars had the first pick of the draft. I had never watched the draft and you don't realise just how long it takes. Each team had ten minutes and it seemed to take forever. They ended up picking a quarterback from Michigan and it wasn't that surprising.

Two other teams picked players and none of them picked me or Adam. The four of us were talking as the timer started for the Texans' pick.

"Do you think that you are going to get picked by them?" Clara asked like she did before every pick.

"I don't know. When I talked to them one of them said I was too short but some of them liked me," I said.

We were continued to talk when you phone started ringing. I was a bit startled to begin with and Clara nudged me. I picked it up from the table where it was lying and answered it.

"Hello, its Colby Wood," I said.

"It is Bob McNair. Are you ready to be a Texan?" he asked me.

"Yes," I said and I was almost bouncing in my seat.

I hung up and the other three were looking at me.

"I'm going to be a Texan," I smiled.

"And with the fourth pick in the NFL Draft the Houston Texans select Colby Wood, cornerback Alabama."

I hugged Clara tightly and then my Grandma and Jack before getting ushered away. I walked into the wings of the stage before walking across. I hugged the NFL commissioner and received a Texans jersey with my name and the number 1 on the back.

I got back to my friends and family. Jack admired my jersey and I kissed Clara.

"We are moving to Houston," she whispered to me.

"I hope that you are ready for the heat," I teased.

Adam got selected at the eight pick and I watched him hug our parents. I wished that that could be me but I tried to have a relationship with them and it wasn't worth the pain. He has picked by the Saints so I wouldn't have to play him often.

I headed to North Carolina with Clara for a couple of days since she had to head back before she could graduate. I would then head to Houston for OTA and rookie minicamp. Clara would join me once she was finished college.