CARY, N.C. — Erica Hicks had her whole life ahead of her. The 16-year-old played softball, soccer and was a cheerleader at Southeast Raleigh High School. Cary police now say Hicks died in October at Western WakeMed because she ingested a lethal combination of Ecstasy and cocaine.

Hick's classmates say they can't believe she's gone.

"Everybody got along with her. She was friendly, she was outgoing. She was definitely fun," said friend Meghan Underhill.

In an unusual move, police have charged a 15-year-old Cary boy with second-degree murder for providing the drugs to Hicks. Police say he was not a classmate of Hicks.

Assistant District Attorney Howard Cummings said this is the first time he can remember that someone has been charged with murder for furnishing drugs. He said in most of these cases, no one ever really knows where the drugs came from.

"When you're dealing with or using drugs, you can't trust the people you're dealing with," said Cary police Capt. David Wulff. "It's something you have to be very, very careful with."

Those who knew Hicks agree.

"I don't understand why people do them at all, and I think it's bad if someone wants to give someone something that could possibly kill them," said classmate Chrissy Reese.

"That's why she died," said classmate Ashlee Powell. "Don't use drugs, stay clean."