Both were freshmen and members of the ROTC's drill and rifle teams. They had started dating, and Adam spent Thursday afternoon at Crista's house watching television.
When it came time for Crista's mother to take Adam home, he and Crista jumped in the back seat of her convertible. They never made it to his house.
A pickup slammed into the car near the Southern Oaks Golf Course in Powdersville. The wreck killed Crista, 15, and her 40-year-old mother, Jacqueline Cozzett Cuzzourt. Adam died Friday night at Greenville Memorial Hospital from his injuries, said Anderson County Deputy Coroner Charlie Boseman.
An Easley man was in jail facing a felony driving under the influence charge. And Wren High has been left reeling from two more student deaths.
Nineteen Wren High students have died in the past decade, all but one in traffic accidents.
Counselors, school psychologists and Powdersville pastors were at the school Friday to help students cope.
"It's evident how popular Crista was. The way our students are reacting shows how well liked she was," Principal Larry Clark said. "She was a wonderful student and will be greatly missed."
Capt. Tom Rossley said the NJROTC is a tight knit group and that the 125 other students are taking Crista's death hard. And now they must cope with Adam's death, too. Several spent Friday at the hospital, holding vigil for their friend who slipped quietly away Friday night.
"Crista was an ideal student. She enjoyed doing everything in ROTC and was looking forward to becoming even more involved in her years to come," he said. "Academically, she was a great student, and she would have had a great future."
Crista was described by classmates as outgoing and friendly. She was an honor-roll student, an academic letter-winner and a member of the sailing team.
Adam would have turned 15 in two weeks and was described as quiet. He had wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement.
The car that the Cuzzourts and Cox were in was crossing State 81 from Airy Springs Road to Southern Oaks Drive when a pickup going south slammed into its driver's side.
The impact was so severe that the driver's door of the late-model Chrysler Lebaron was ripped off. It impaled the front end of the pickup.
Both vehicles ended up in a ditch, their front ends protruding into the roadway.
Christopher Lee Jones, 26, of 104 Lee Road in Easley, has been charged with felony driving under the influence and a seat belt law violation, according to citations issued by the Highway Patrol.
Jones and his passenger, Travis Eades, 22, of 205 Spruce St. in Greenville,
were taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital, said Highway Patrol spokesman
Dan Marsceau. No information was available on their conditions.