Quentin Fields, a fictional character and perhaps a representation of all

Samantha Walker: Quentin Fields was a basketball player. He was also a son. A brother. Somebody's teammate. Somebody's friend. I never knew Quentin Fields and I guess now I never will. Did you ever wonder what it would be like if you weren't you anymore? If you were suddenly gone how would your world react? Whatever you imagined was wrong. There's nothing romantic about death. Grief is like the ocean: it's deep and dark and bigger than all of us. And pain is like a thief in the night. Quiet. Persistent. Unfair. Diminished by time and faith and love. I didn't know Quentin Fields but I'm jealous of him because I see how his absence has affected the people that did know him so I know that he did matter to them. And I know he was loved. People say Quentin Fields was a great basketball player. Graceful. Fluid. Inspiring. They say on a good night it almost seemed as though he could fly. And now he can.

Haley James Scott: When archaeologists uncover lost civilizations and they unearth these worlds that have long since been destroyed, you know what they find most often? They find stories: ancient languages, words, inscriptions from people who have been gone for thousands of years. Because chances are they, like you, they wanted to know, what's the point? And they wanted us to know that they were here, you know? They told their stories and they tried to make sense out of their lives and their worlds and their tragedies. So that's what we're gonna do. I want you to write something - anything at all - about Quentin Fields. If you knew him, write a favorite memory. If you didn't know him, write what you think the point is of all this for yourself and your life and your time here. This is a literature class, and that's what writers do. We put pen to paper in times of devastating tragedy, we just try to make sense of it. Maybe we'll find clarity in some of those words. Maybe we'll find peace.