Summary

In Essay 1, titled "BFF," Sarah, the author and narrator, relates this essay in the present tense, despite it being a composite of childhood and teenaged memories. At the start, Sarah sees her former best friend after a year of not speaking. Sarah and her friend went through other spouts of not speaking and the author goes between present and past tense, commenting on her shared experiences with the unnamed friend.

Sarah thinks about how she feels about her friend, thinking that the friend is “the only woman I’ve loved this way: enough to want to hurt” (1). Sarah remembers all the firsts they experienced growing up, from first loves to tattoos, as well as the way their bodies changed as they went through puberty together. Sarah contemplates the way she was honest with her friend, but also “pretended” (7) with her, such...