The Dart: Birthday cousins enjoy celebrating together

Published 12:58 am Monday, September 25, 2017

 

VIDALIA — It was a hot and muggy Saturday – the kind of day during which residents sit on shady porch swings just to find a breeze.

When The Dart landed on Jefferson Street in Vidalia, Jacob Adams and Hayley Littleton wanted to be no other place on their shared birthday than on the porch together.

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The cousins have been friends since they were young and have subsequently included in their friendship Caroline Dossett and Darryl Rollins.

The four are juniors this year at Block High School in Jonesville  — just one year away from making decisions about their future — but for the moment, they just want to be together.

It was Littleton’s 16th birthday and  Adams’ 15th.

They made plans for the birthday pair at the house where Rollin’s dad lives, where little sister and avid singer Hope Rollins occasionally interrupted their get together with song.

Together the foursome made plans to go skating that evening in Sicily Island, gossiped about teachers who they’re convinced have grudges against them and talked about a few of the senior boys who may or may not be cute — they can’t decide.

Some people might call them troublemakers, but to many they are just regular, rebellious teenagers.

What do these rowdy teenagers like to do?

“We’re in a cult,” Adams said. He then quickly adds, “Just kidding!”

In reality, they just enjoy being together.

When asked where Adams and Littleton would spend their birthdays if they could go anywhere, do anything, they gestured to their friends and answered: “Just hang out with them.”

Before heading over to the skating rink, the group gathered around the swing and told more stories.

They gossiped about couples in high school — “I don’t know how many times they’ve broke up and got back together,” Dossett said smiling wryly — and between the five of them, there are only three pairs of shoes.

They’ve been friends long enough to forget who was around for which story.

The most common refrain is, “Remember that time when …?”

Chris Rollins and Amber Glass, the only adults around, sit in the wooden blue swing and cut in intermittently with stories of their own.

“They’re wild,” Glass said.

To the onlooker, it’s true: they’re loud and little crazy, but most of all, they’re happy.

In most stories, the birthday duo take a backseat, letting Dosset and Rollins drive the conversation.

All in all, it was a good birthday. — no rush, no big plans, just friends hanging out.

For Adams and Littleton, there was no place they would rather be.