They first met in middle school – when they were wide-eyed and 10, 11 or 12: before Americans could so easily separate themselves based on what they believed.

"Even then, he was political," Christina Lorey wrote in a social media post after his death. "A Republican – but not an extremist. He was funny, friendly, and always the first to debate anything and everything."

Lorey, a left-leaning journalist with a Substack following, who now lives in Wisconsin, and conservative influencer Charlie Kirk grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. On Sept. 10, a shooter is believed to have fired a single gunshot that killed Kirk, 31, on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Now, Lorey is paying tribute to her childhood friend, years after their paths diverged. USA TODAY reached out to Lorey for comment, but has not yet gotten a response.

In her post, Lorey wrote that Kirk "talked a lot." She did, too. They "became friends," she said. They weren't "best friends," but "the kind of people who'd work well together on a school project and have fun doing it."

Chocolate chip cookie campaign

Then, at the end of 6th grade, both Lorey and Kirk were voted "Most Likely to Become President."

"He was much more excited about that than I: it always seemed like he might actually run for president someday," Lorey wrote. "In high school we were on different tracks, but had one memorable class together senior year: AP Government. It was an election year, too; Charlie's Super Bowl." Former President Barack Obama and former Arizona Sen. John McCain were on the ballot.

Lorey said that there were only five people in their government class, which she noted was rare for a public high school in Illinois, such as Wheeling High School.

"I got to know Charlie very well during that year," Lorey said. "One of my favorite memories was the schoolwide campaign he launched to get the cafeteria to lower the price of its chocolate chip cookies. I don't remember what they’d hiked the price to or if his campaign was even successful, but he was extraordinarily passionate about it."

She continued: 'That trait stayed with him until the end – When Charlie believed in something, he REALLY believed in it." Then, just before they both graduated from Wheeling, senior superlatives were released. They were both voted "Most Likely to Become President" – again.

Graduation came and went. The Wheeling Wildcats from the class of 2012 walked their own paths. Lorey said Kirk started Turning Point USA that summer. The organization advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses. His high school friend Lorey went to college. Kirk dropped out.

"We didn't talk much besides the occasional check-in, and even though I didn't at all agree with or admire what his organization turned into, I was amazed that the middle school boy that always wanted to debate built THAT," Lorey said on social media. "It was impressive."

But she built something impressive, too: Lorey now boasts 125,000 Facebook followers while sharing good news across Wisconsin; she also posts the occasional snarky item about conservative politicians. Her high school friend has millions of followers across multiple platforms.

Last year, 12 summers after graduation day, Kirk spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, after an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, a part of a growing trend of violent political acts across the United States.

Then, on a sunny summer day in Utah, a public assassination attempt happened again. Lorey's childhood friend was killed.

"Fast-forward to today, we didn't agree on much. But one thing is for sure – political violence is never okay. EVER," Lorey wrote. "Sending a hug to Charlie’s parents, his sister, his wife Erika, his one and three year old kids, and all our former classmates and teachers. I can't wait for a day when gun violence is no longer common in America."

We grow up with each other and graduate from high school and, as Lorey and Kirk did, go our own ways. The bonds we shared break. We reunite every 5 to 10 years. Remember the good 'ol days. And when tragedy strikes in small towns and suburbs and city streets across America, we check in.

But sometimes, we look back on who we were together.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: She's a liberal. Charlie Kirk was her friend. After the shooting, she's honoring him.

Reporting by Jay Stahl, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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