Givens died when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver over the weekend.
[Ads /]
"It's a hard time. Everyone who knew Josh knew he was a bright soul. He always wanted to make everyone laugh," said classmate Jazmin Del Angel.
Givens was No. 74 on the football team. His friends showed video, they say, of a typical day in the cafeteria with him.
"So much positivity, always happy. When someone was down, he was trying to help them up. If we were at a football game, he tried to pick them up," said another classmate, Arianna Jackson.
"I hope to keep his mom company, because I was like a second son to her," Dominique Fernandez said of Joshua's mother, who as a single parent is now left alone. "I'm all she has left. I'll take Josh's place and I know he'd want me to do that."
Givens was walking from a quinceañera late Saturday night, when investigators say he was struck on McClesky Road. The suspected driver, 23-year-old Logan Foster, is now in the Montgomery County jail, charged with failure to stop and render aid causing death. Investigators say he left the scene after the crash. He later turned himself in.
ORIGINAL STORY: Suspect charged in hit-and-run that killed 17-year-old in New Caney
Moving forward is difficult.
[Ads /]
"I forgive him. It's the right thing to do. We're all humans no matter what," said Fernandez.
And they want the driver to know what was taken.
"I hope he understands what he did and there are consequences to his actions. He took away a very good soul," said Del Angel.
Givens' family has started a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses. If you'd like to donate, click here.
RELATED: Taco shop raising money for family of New Caney HS student killed in hit-and-run
Follow Christine Dobbyn on Facebook and Twitter.