But we were all fierce in our own ways. We had built fortresses to protect ourselves from our parents, our classmates, the world, before shyly inviting each other in by the front door. We loved each other more than anything, but the flip side of love isn’t hate—it’s the power to destroy. We were experts in each other’s weaknesses, blind spots, barely healed wounds, and, very occasionally, we used this insider knowledge to hurt each other.
