By Alexandra Dalton

Staff Writer

 Coming into high school having a twin brother can be both comforting and suffocating. There will always be someone there for you when feel upset and need someone to count on, but there will also be someone there when you mess up; someone that will see all of your dirty laundry both at home and school.

Twinstwice.com says that 1 in 50 people is a fraternal twin in the USA, and 1 in 150 is an identical twin. This means that out of the fifty kids that you see everyday it’s likely that at least one has a sibling their age. A third of all twins born in the US are identical and that is harder case to handle then just opposite gender friction.

In my case, my brother Pierce and I are the only children in our family and we have completely separate personalities. This sparks both arguments and awe. My brother’s perspective on things are mostly black and white, while mine are usually varying shades of gray.

Surprisingly, despite this fact and despite being in a school with 4,000 other kids, we share the same core group of friends. We always have something to talk about, but it can be irritating when one twin knows a secret they swore not to tell.

There are a decent amount of bonuses to having the same friend group, but the downsides seem to represent themselves every day. My brother and I see each other constantly and have to share everything.

This usually occurs for siblings, but most siblings do not have to share friends. It is weird not having anyone else to relate to; it seems that everyone else who is a twin is smart enough to get their own friend group at an early age.

All of the friends he made generally always accept me as “your brother’s sister” but never anything more or less. For a teenage girl trying to find her own way, it’s easy to see how this can be problematic.

But it will lead me to make new friends I probably would not imagine talking to, and those end up being the ones that I love the most. In return, I typically feel sentimental towards my brother and it brings us to a point where we feel comfortable talking about our mutual friends.

Because of our mutual friends, I began to sit at the same lunch table with my brother and talk to the same people. It is utterly shocking how much can get back to your mom when you decide to share a few secrets with your friends while exhausted at lunch.

Then, before I know it, I am constantly fighting with my brother, at that very same lunch table in front of the people whose opinions I care about the most. It does scare some away, but after 15 years of it, it is more of a test for others than an embarrassing moment.

On the positive side of things, sharing everything can create a bond closer than most siblings. We get to know each other on a level that I never thought possible. It seems crazy, but at the end of the day, it’s more comforting than invading.

I may be sitting at my lunch table, lost in thought, when I see my twin glance over at me and give me a look that makes me think he knows exactly what I’m thinking about.

That is the best part; and despite the fighting and secrets, I have to remember that blood will always be thicker than water, and more than that, I will always want the best for him and all the happiness that comes along with that.