PURE HEARTBREAK
THE classmates of a 16-year-old girl who died after her car smashed into a tree and erupted in flames have broken down in tears while remembering their friend.
Liv Teverino's peers gathered to transform what was once her parking spot at Marietta High School outside of Atlanta, Georgia, into a memory of her short life.
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Liv, a junior, was heading home for dinner after cross-country practice on Monday when her 2016 Volvo slammed into a tree.
By the time first responders arrived, the vehicle had erupted in flames with the fire spreading throughout the entire length of the car.
When they put out the flames, they found the teen girl who has been described as a scholar, athlete, and community leader.
"She exemplified what it means to live your life the best that you possibly can and in the path of God," her friend Isaac Phillip, who had known her since he was four years old, told Atlanta News First.
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"Any person that met her truly was a blessed individual."
Isaac and many others came to school the day after her death to decorate her parking spot with a mass of yellow bouquets, heartbreaking photos show.
Her favorite color was yellow, and it shone brightly against the dark asphalt outside of the school.
Flowers were also left at the scene of the crash, and a cross was hung on the tree above the splintered tree that stopped her car.
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"As part of the MHS International Baccalaureate Programme and our state champion cross-country team, she embodied passion and decision," said Marietta City Schools superintendent Grant Rivera.
"As with everything she undertook, Liv excelled, leaving an indelible mark of excellence."
Students who failed to come to school on Tuesday were not counted absent as the small community reckons with the death of Liv, who teachers say had a bright future.
"Our Marietta community is resilient, and in times of adversity, we find strength in one another," Rivera said.
When Liv wasn't at school, she could oftentimes be found at St. Joseph's Church where she served as an altar server.
Friends remember her strong sense of faith as they reckon with the weight of her death.
"I can only hope that everyone that did not get to meet her and know her just holds onto whatever goodness that she gave him because there's a strong chance that nobody else in the world could really give them that," Isaac said through tears.
A private vigil was held on Monday night for Liv's family and friends.
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School officials say that social workers, psychologists, and community leaders are available for any student who may need assistance.
Officers working for the Marietta Selective Traffic Enforcement Program are investigating the crash.
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