NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Of all the things teenagers could and should be doing in the summer, mourning the loss of a friend on the steps of their school isn’t one of them.
“For that to be the news of how our summer is going is not the way we wanted to start our summer, and shouldn't have been the way we started our summer, sadly,” said West Jessamine student Aaliyah Crutcher.
The news of Jared Suárez's passing spread through texts and calls Saturday afternoon.
“I called Bryce, and as soon I called him, it was just complete silence and I knew it was true that he'd passed away,” said Shawn Ailiff.
Suárez died in a car accident only a couple miles from West Jessamine High School, where a group of his friends sat Monday afternoon to share stories and memories of their friend. Suárez would have been a senior in the fall.
“It doesn't feel real, it still doesn't feel real, you would never think that you have to bury your best friend,” said Bryce Chestnut.
From the football team to the cheer squad and every social circle Suárez found himself in, there’s now a void.
“I just want to walk in the Ag hallway and see him. I wanna walk into the basketball game and see him cheering or the football field and see him playing football. You could be the shyest person or be the most outgoing, but everyone knew who Jared was,” said Brooklynn Corson.
"When I first met him, we were in middle school, and we met with one of our friends Tessa. We were so shy, but we just started talking and became best friends," said Shay Lay.
Goofy, lovable, smarter than he let on – friends echoed their admiration for Suárez, smiling and laughing as they remembered their favorite “Jared moments.”
“He was so funny. He knew how to make everybody laugh. He was just a comedian at heart,” said Tessa Robinson.
Football players remember Suárez’s leadership on the team. Colt Carlson said, “He was truly like a mentor, he really took me under his wing when I didn't know much at the beginning of football.”
“He was aggressive, but he was such a leader. Everybody looked up to him. He was like the big brother of the team. If anybody had problems, they could always go talk to Jared. He’d have the right words to say,” said Keegan Howard.
A friend on the cheer squad, Audrey Rodrigues, said “He was our biggest cheerleader even though he was on the cheer team. He was the best.”
Even more friends chimed in, wanting to share their memories with Suárez.
“I didn’t see him every day, but the days that I did see him, they were just 10 times better,” said Alexis Hollaway.
“He was like a brother to me. I’ve known him since sixth grade, and he is a person that I knew that I could talk to if I needed something and just to be there for me,” said Ashlyn Crutcher.
The group of a dozen students strong said they could go on and on.
When school begins next month and a number 55 jersey hangs in the locker, the cafeteria is a little quieter, it’s Jared Suárez who will be on their minds.
“He was such a good kid and the purest soul of anyone I knew,” said Chase Dowlen. “God got him a good one.”
