Miniscule puzzle pieces are strewn out along the beige carpeting in Coppell High School junior Liberty McConnell’s home. As icy roads and frigid temperatures put the lives of many CHS students on pause, McConnell and best friend, fellow CHS junior Kate Nelson, reach their hands out to craft the image of a house on the lake, ironic.

McConnell sarcastically jokes about the best memory she has from the sleepover with Nelson (“you mean from the past 36 hours”). Her distaste for the weather echoes that of many Coppell residents, clawing to get back to life in normalcy as winter weather rips through the community.

But while so much of the town is cold, wet or frozen, the exuberant warmth between Nelson and McConnell glows. 

Recognizing the impending winter weather after Coppell ISD announced district closures on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Nelson made her way to McConnell’s home to spend the night.

“Being able to hang out with your friends in a time like this is something that is very necessary and beneficial because you’re kind of under all of this anxiety, especially not knowing when school is going to start,” McConnell said. “I thought it was good and exciting at first when school was out, but then you realize that you still have classes and work that now you’re behind on, but with friends, I realized I could still have fun and that everyone is in the same boat.”

Over snacks, chit-chat and a slew of video games from Animal Jam to Fortnite, McConnell and Nelson made the most of a chilly day at home. After being friends for more than ten years, moments like these allow them to grow even closer, according to McConnell.

“I’ve known Kate since I was in second grade because we played softball together,” McConnell said. “We were always really close at a young age, and we really became even closer in middle school through athletics. Our friendship has really grown since eighth grade to now, so having Kate with me made me really really joyful.”

Still, McConnell and Nelson fell into the trap that many southerners do: snow and ice are not like the movies. 

“Genuinely, I love the idea of snow and ice more than what it actually is,” McConnell said. “I’m the person that is always watching shows like ‘Gilmore Girls’, and they make it look so amazing with everyone doing their best in the cold. In real life, though, it’s more like ‘I have to do this to my car, I have to shovel this, I have to turn the faucets on drip, I have to turn the heaters on,’ so I feel like there is so much going on that people don’t talk about and romanticize, but really it’s a lot of work.”

Through the hassle that the winter weather has created, these two best friends’ flame shone brighter. 

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