Rushing back from an afternoon at cheerleading practice, senior Taylor Faulkner knew she was going to be late for work. When she walked into Subway that afternoon and saw there was a line forming, she knew she needed to come up with something fast. Her identical twin, Tyra Faulkner, was there with her to help her pick up the slack. While Taylor changed in the bathroom, Tyra put on an extra work shirt from the back and helped cover for her sister.
“Hi, my name is Taylor, how can I help you today?”
No one noticed the difference as Taylor sneaked out of the bathroom and hid beneath the counter. Knowing the switch needed to be stealthy, Tyra dropped a knife over the counter to allow Taylor to pick it up and pick up where her sister left off.
“I’m sorry, you wanted a six inch on wheat?”
“We’ve been through lots of ups and downs,” Taylor said. “We always stick together, through boy drama, friend drama or anything like that. If we ever have a falling out with our friends, which has happened, of course, because friends change a lot from freshman year to senior year, I’ve always had her. I’ve never had a friend problem because I’ve always had my best friend with me.”
In January, the sisters found out that UNC-Charlotte had accepted Taylor, but Tyra would have to choose another college.
“Whenever I first found out (about my rejection), I thought about it,” Tyra said. “When I first sent in my application, I was thinking, ‘Wow, Charlotte is going to be awesome. We are going to go together,’ and then when I got denied I thought, ‘What was the whole point of me even going to Charlotte?’ I think the only reason I was going was because of Taylor. I realized I wanted to be a little closer (to home) because of the connections I have with my parents.”
Taylor and Tyra have done everything together from cheerleading for 12 years to being involved with the Dance Team.
“We’ve always been together,” Tyra said. “The longest we’ve ever been apart was maybe a day or two for sleepovers. We didn’t really know that we were twins when we were little. Our parents never really made us feel like we were ‘the twins.’ We were just sisters. We have always been close.”
The twins will be separating for the first time in their lives after graduation.
“It’s going to be different when she’s not here,” Tyra said. “We won’t distract each other. We can go out and do our own things. I think it’s just something that we both needed to do for ourselves because we both were dependent on each other, but I think that it will be worth it in the end because of the individuality.”
Tyra has chosen to attend Brevard College and live at home while Taylor has committed to go to UNC-Charlotte.
By Carlie Gillespie
