NATCHEZ — Donning brightly colored string friendship bracelets, these three girls are inseparable.

Paige Foster, Abby Brown and Emme Hull, all 10-year-old fifth graders at Cathedral School, were having a ball playing tennis when The Dart landed on Duncan Park.

Sneakers moved in a flurry as they volleyed the ball, two against one on the sun-drenched courts.

Only Foster would admit that she has tennis talent.

“She takes lessons,” Brown explained. “I haven’t played in years.”

But Foster just enjoys the sport of it.

“It’s fun and good exercise,” she said.

Hull said she liked wielding a racket, too.

But tennis isn’t everything the tremendous trio tackles.

Foster and Brown have been best friends for as long as they can remember and Hull jumped on board when she moved to the area when she was in second grade.

There’s even a secret handshake involved that includes foot stomping, hand slapping and ending in a Charlie’s Angels pose.

Brown and Foster admit to being a bit of sports fanatics and said they play just about everything, even football.

“I never played quarterback or anything,” she said.

But she enjoyed participating in the youth league and Foster said loved tackling the most.

“Tackling is my favorite,” Foster said.

These girls are no frills.

“We’re all tough,” Brown said.

Puffing with pride over their school, they said they enjoyed being back in session and this year, they’re called middle schoolers.

But the one entitlement they truly want from being in middle school, which they don’t get now, is a locker.

“We want lockers,” Foster said.

Each wanting to express their personal flair, a locker would be the perfect drawing board to do so.

Laughing, joking and moaning whenever a bright yellow tennis ball shot straight in the air like a rocket instead of arching over the net, the girls continued on with their game, scurrying across the court looking very much like the best of friends.