Many people claimb to have friends, but how many really do. If one knows those they call friend, really do not know them. There are many types of friend and all may or may not be true friends. Sometimes your friends will think they are looking out for their friend from some attack you yourself do not see as an attack.
Truth, honesty, and loyalty are all good things to look for in friends. Sometimes your friends may not see all things the same way and may misunderstand things that you see so clearly. The balancing act comes when you try to make a protective friend understand you do not see what another friend actions as something from which you need defending. If you really know your real friends you will imediatly know if their actions are meant to hurt or protect you imediatly upon hearing gaining the knowlage of what they did.
Many people get offended at anything said about them, good, bad, true, or false, they get angry anyone would have the nerve to speak about them. I myself have a different viewpoint that sometimes people do not understand. People may say anything they want about me , as long as it is true, and I take no offence at it. Some of my real,true friends know this about me and have no worries about speaking the truth about me. Other friends do not understand this about me. They think if someone talks about me when I am not therer I should be as mad about the worda as they were to hear them. ???? Those who understand me, know I will take no offence at any true thing they say, and often have said the same things to my face.

If one truelly understands their friends they will always know what their friends will and will not do, no one may ever make you anger at a friend just by telling you something they have heard a friend say about you.