'How do y'all know about love?' often joked both their mothers while talking about Annabell and Xavier's relationship.
Trigger Warning: This story mentions gun violence which may be disturbing to readers.
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez and Xavier James Lopez attended the fourth grade together at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and were best of friends.
Their friendship began when both of them were toddlers. That is when they first met while playing together when Annabell visited her grandparents at a trailer park in Uvalde, where Xavier also lived.
When Annabell met Xavier in school, she told her mother that she really liked the way he smells. In school, they passed notes to each other in class. They met when their families got together for barbeques. Slowly, they started texting each other "I love you" before bedtime.
Unfortunately, this friendship and love story was cut short the day a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at their school. To honor this relationship between the two children, Annabell and Xavier's families will bury them next to each other. They will be laid to rest in side-by-side plots at Hillcrest Cemetery in Uvalde.
Speaking about their cute relationship, Annabell's mother, Monica Gallegos, told ABC News that her daughter had a crush on Xavier. She mentioned how she and Xavier's mother, Felicha Martinez, found the relationship amusing. "Me and Felicha would laugh, like, 'How do y'all know about love?'"
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez and Xavier James Lopez are two of the #Uvalde victims. They were sweethearts at Robb Elementary. Their moms have decided to bury them next to each other. Xavier will be buried in a casket adorned with the colors of the Toronto Blue Jays. Ana Navaro pic.twitter.com/57Ad4p9uCh
— JBK (@Jan101981) June 8, 2022
Not just their mothers, but everyone at school also knew about Annabell and Xavier. May 24, 2022, was a special day for the kids because Xavier had made his way to the honor roll for the first time. They posed for pictures at an award ceremony in the school cafeteria that morning before running back to their classroom.
About an hour later, the gunman opened fire killing 19 children including Annabell and Xavier. They both were in the same classroom as teacher Arnulfo Reyes, who have also suffered injuries and is still at the hospital recovering.
Uvalde victims Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez and Xavier James Lopez were sweethearts who passed notes in class, texted each other before bed and made the honor roll together on the day they died. They've been buried side by side. https://t.co/Ng4aJ6KGa2 via @HuffPost
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) June 9, 2022
Reyes lost all 11 of his students in room 111 on the day of the shooting. Speaking of the affection that Xavier had for Annabell, he said "He would make things for her, he would write notes for her." He remembered the kids from his hospital bed and said, "It brings a smile to your face just to think they really loved each other."
Now, the families are struggling to accept the fact that their children are no more. "I'm not ready," Gallegos said, while she made the final preparations for her daughter's funeral.
References:
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/im-ready-uvalde-victims-texted-love-buried/story?id=85208670
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Brandon Bell
