“There’s some stuff I don’t understand about this accident—like why it happened and why Robbie had to die and why I didn’t die. Mama keeps huggin’ me, sayin’, ‘Praise the Lord’ and stuff like that. But what about Robbie’s mama? What is she saying?”
“Last week I learned that kids my age could die. That was the most frightening experience I ever had. A boy that I knew real well, that sat next to me in study hall, died in a car crash.”
“So why do I feel so guilty? I don’t sleep so good at night. I keep seein’ the fire and hearin’ his screams and feelin’ so helpless. He was too young to die like that. It’s not fair. He never had a chance. Was all this done to teach us kids a lesson? Will it stop us from drinkin’ and drivin’? Maybe—a few.”
“It’s hard for us to understand why things like this happen, and I think you’re doing a remarkable job of handling a very rough situation. You came back to the team, you’re playing well—and we all support you. You know that. Actually, you are the glue that’s holding the team together. Without you, we’d all fall apart.”
″‘It’s me, brother. Your main man, Roberto. And yes, I’m cold. Very cold. It’s no fun bein’ dead.′
‘I’m sorry, Rob. You know I didn’t mean to hurt you.’
‘Understood, my man. But when’re you comin’ to keep me company?‘”
“Last week, there were 400 people in the Senior Class. Today there are 399. One student became a statistic when he lost his life in an accident involving drinking and driving. Usually, statistics don’t mean much, but this statistic had a name, a face, a basketball jersey, and friends.”