BROOKNEAL, Va. – It has been an incredibly trying two days for the community in Brookneal, especially for the high school seniors who now are without their friend Carleigh Singleton.
Prom is right around the corner, graduation is within reach for many and Singleton's friends are just wondering how they're going to do this without their friend.
The message at Tuesday night's candlelight vigil was simple and clear -- it's OK to be weak, and hit your rock bottom -- that's the only way you'll be able to be strong and rise back to the top.
"She was always there for me when I needed her and she always made me laugh. She was amazing, she always had a smile on her face and she was nice to everybody that she knew," said Sabrina Horn, Carleigh Singleton's best friend.
That's why it's no surprise 200 people clenched candles in Singleton's memory Tuesday night.
William Campbell High School still is struggling to understand.
"The senior class put this on tonight, I was very proud of what they did," said Dabney Hanson, principal of William Campbell Combined School.
Singleton was part of that class, a small class of 70 students.
News she crashed along Route 40 and died Sunday stings these students so badly, and Hanson is trying to guide them through the toughest lesson.
"One of the younger children yesterday that was processing, it was kind of interesting because she said she didn't know Carleigh personally but that it was so hard to think about someone her age passing and so upsetting to see her teachers upset," said Hanson.
The jokes, memories and tales lived on as balloons floated into the night sky Tuesday, releasing the pain, bringing them one step closer to peace within themselves.
"Don't take life for granted, not that Carly did, I know she didn't, but you're not promised another day. So tell people that you love them while you can," said Horn.
Both Carleigh's mom and dad were at the candlelight vigil. Neither of them wanted to speak with 10 News on camera, but they did say it was incredibly powerful to witness the amount of support that the community has shown to their family and see just how much that their daughter was loved.