When you’re walking down the halls of Niles West, you might see senior John Mucci by the engineering room and senior Mary Mucci in the cafe talking with her friends. The Mucci twins don’t really see or talk to each other at school, but they have a loving brother-sister relationship no one really knows about.

“They’re never really together at school or home, but they’re really funny when they’re together. Some of the stories I hear from Mary are hilarious,” senior Joerlyn Manalang said.

However, these twins never started off as twins. The Mucci twins were actually triplets: John, Allison, and Mary Mucci. On June 28, 1996, the Mucci family consisted of the three of them, who were all apart by only 30 seconds. Two months after coming home, Allison caught a virus as a premature baby. She passed away during the two months at home.

“Everything would be so different. I don’t know how life would be with Allison, but I know we would look out for each other and love each other that much more,” Mary said.

For John and Mary, the Mucci twins are completely opposites. John may be shy in school, but when he’s with his friends, he is very outgoing and talkative. They like to fix cars, and occasionally blow stuff up in an open field. Mary, on the other hand, is very talkative when first meeting her. She dances 24/7 since she’s on both the poms team and Orchesis dance company.

“Since John was always shy, he would never talk when we were younger. He would whisper to me, and I would always be the one who tells everyone what John is saying,” Mary said laughing.

Even with these very distinct personalities, the Mucci twins never fail to have fun and spend time together. They’re both never really home due to their busy life with school and extracurricular activities, but when they’re together, they like to hang out. They especially love playing with their dog, Wheatie Mucci.

“I think we have a pretty good relationship. We can talk to each other about anything,” John said.

With college coming in less than a year, the Mucci twins are thinking of going their separate ways in the near future. Mary is already committed to Illinois State University, while John is still deciding on which school would be best for him and his interest for mechanical engineering.