My original inspiration was my mom: a few years after the death of my dad, she started dating one my teachers!
No matter where you are in your life, whatever set of people you're with, it all still breaks down like high school does. You have your social cliques, you have the people you get along with, the people you don't and the people you're ambivalent about. All of the dynamics are still here.
What we actually learn, from any given set of circumstances, determines whether we become increasingly powerless or more powerful.