Two 'childhood sweethearts' who were killed in the tragic Uvalde school shooting in Texas last month were buried next to one another.
10-year-olds Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez and Xavier James Lopez had been crushing on each other for weeks before admitting their feelings to each other via notes passed in class at Robb Elementary School.
Months later, their families met up for BBQs at the weekend, where their children would play games like ‘tag’ together. The fourth graders’ parents then found out that their kids were texting ‘I love you’ at bedtime.
“Me and Felicha [Martinez] - Xavier's mum - would laugh, like, ‘How do y’all know about love?’”, Monica Gallegos, Annabell's mum, told ABC News.
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That fateful morning on May 24, Annabell and Xavier took pictures together at an award ceremony in the school’s lunch hall - with Xavier having made the honour roll for the first time. Annabell’s mum joked that her daughter’s smarts had rubbed off on him.
But just one hour later, a gunman - since named as Salvador Ramos - walked into a classroom and killed 19 students and two teachers.
Following the horrific turn of events last month, all 11 students in classroom 111 were killed - including childhood flames Annabell and Xavier.
The two children were buried earlier this week on 8 June at Hillcrest Cemetery in Uvalde, Texas and parents Monica and Felicha chose for their beloved children to be buried next to one another in light of their sweet love story.
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“I’m not ready,” Monica said in advance of her daughter and Xavier's funeral.
During all of Xavier’s Little League baseball games in the past, Annabell wore a picture of Xavier around her neck when she came to support her special friend - which was a present from Felicha.
Though neither of the children would have remembered it, Annabell and Xavier would have met as toddlers.
Annabell’s grandfather and great-grandmother lived at a trailer park in Uvalde where Xavier used to live, with the pair often playing on the grounds together when Annabell went to visit her family.
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Their teacher, Arnulfo Reyes, who escaped the shooting with gunshot injuries and is still recovering in hospital now, remembered their love for each other fondly.
"He would make things for her, he would write notes for her," Reyes previously said in an interview from his hospital bed.
"It brings a smile to your face just to think they really loved each other."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Topics: US News, World News