"Bridget—"
"Get out."
"Please. Just give me a minute."
"Fine."
Bridget didn't look up as Moira entered the room. Moira wondered what she should say.
I'm sorry? The girls at school would be shocked to hear her say that. Cold, stern, dictator Moira, apologising to someone?
"I'm sorry." Alright, she had said it.
Bridget didn't react.
"Really," she added. "I shouldn't have said it. I was just so angry, and—"
"Yeah, like you always are about me being in your life."
The words made Moira wince. "You know I didn't mean it like that."
"Then how did you mean it? Because I think you made it pretty clear with 'I wish you would shoot yourself and get out of my freaking life'."
Moira winced again. She had never heard Bridget speak in that cold tone of voice before, even to her. She even preferred the angry yelling she used during their arguments.
"I didn't mean it," she insisted. "You're..." She paused. She was never good at expressing her feelings, especially for her sister. "I don't want you to kill yourself."
Bridget snorted. "Gee, I think that's the nicest thing I've heard you say to me."
Moira was surprised to feel a flash of annoyance flare up inside her. Before she could stop herself, she said, "Oh, come off it, Bridget. As if you've always had nice things to say about me. You're not exactly a saint either."
Bridget finally looked up at that, her cheeks flushing and a spark of anger in her eyes. "Maybe I would if you were nicer."
Moira willed herself to calm down as she filled the familiar anger flaring up. The last thing she wanted was to get into another argument with her sister.
"I'm sorry, Bridget. I know I wasn't very nice to you..." Bridget snorted, and Moira continued before she could make another side comment. "And you don't have to forgive me. But if you don't, I hope you remember this. I didn't mean what I said, at all." She paused. "You're..." Just say it, she told herself. "You're part of the only family I have left. I don't want to lose you." There, she had done it.
Bridget looked up again, surprise and then a flash of anger crossing her face. "Who are you and what have you done with Moira?"
Yes, what had she done with Moira? That sweet, playful, happy little girl who loved her baby sister more than anything. She had disappeared with her father.
"Like I said, you don't have to forgive me. Just remember that."
Bridget's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Moira. I don't think I can."
"Forgive me?"
"Yes," replied Bridget honestly. "But I will remember that."
"Thank you," replied Moira. Her heart was still heavy, but lighter than before. She hadn't received her sister's forgiveness, but she had received her understanding. It was the closest she would get to saying "I love you". At least, after she had become the cold dictator everyone knew her as.
After Moira has that argument with Bridget, she refuses to forgive her, but then agrees to talk to her when she doesn't approve of her dating boys. That's a bit confusing. Still, I always found their argument interesting. Bridget kept going on about how Moira had "no right" to say what she said. I really want to know what she said. It wasn't as bad as "I wish you would shoot yourself" because she actually felt bad about saying that.