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10-year-old Uvalde victims who exchanged 'I love you' texts at bedtime buried side-by-side

By AYIE LICSI Published Jun 09, 2022 4:46 pm

Classmates Annabell Rodriguez and Xavier Lopez were the best of friends attending Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The two were so close that they would text each other "I love you" every night.

Both kids were killed in the Texas school shooting and are being laid to rest side-by-side. 

A special relationship

Annabell and Xavier became classmates in August and easily fell into a friendship. Little did she know, they actually first met when they were toddlers at a trailer park where Xavier, Annabell's grandfather, and great-grandmother used to live.

As the kids grew closer, they began texting each other "I love you" before bedtime.

"She had a big old crush on him," Annabell's mom Monica Gallegos, told ABC News.

Both Gallegos and Xavier's mother Felicha Martinez found their relationship amusing. "How do y'all know about love?" they would tell the kids.

When Annabell would go to Xavier's little league games, she wore a photo of him strung around her neck.

Everyone in their school knew about their special relationship, even their teacher Arnulfo Reyes who was also shot during the massacre.

"He would make things for her, he would write notes for her," Reyes told ABC News from his hospital bed. "It brings a smile to your face just to think they really loved each other."

Tragedy struck

On the morning of May 24, both students were recognized for academic achievements. It was a special day for Xavier as it was the first time he'd been on the honor roll. His mother joked that Annabell's smarts may have rubbed off on him.

Reyes took a quick photo of the children before they went back to class, and shortly after, an 18-year-old gunman stormed the school, killing Annabell, Xavier, 17 other kids, and two teachers.

Xavier was buried on June 7 while Annabell was laid to rest the next day. Their families decided to bury them next to each other at Hillcrest Cemetery in Uvalde.