Darkness had already fallen when Sarah stepped off the bus, starting her trek toward the farm. But she didn't set her inner compass course toward the main house, where her mom was probably waiting with dinner ready. Instead, she strode toward the barn, aiming to circumvent her brother's hiding tactics. There would be no more hiding though. It was time to get everything out in the open.

"Hernan?" she called out upon entering, unable to see anything in the dim lighting.

"I'm here," her brother replied, his voice sounded a bit exasperated but at least he didn't try to pretend he wasn't there. "Did mom send you to get me for dinner?"

"No." Sarah looked over the door of the Didi's box, where Hernan was busy laying out new hay. The friendly alpaca was probably in the small pasture outside the stable, waiting for her quarters to be ready. "I wanted to talk to you... about the other night."

Flicking some stray straws from his tied-back hair, Hernan abrupted his work to look at Sarah. "Then talk," he said impatiently, waving with his hand to get the words rolling.

"Can we sit down?" Sarah asked. She didn't want this to just be a quick exchange of words between tasks. She wanted her brother's full focus if this was to go according to plan.

Hernan sighed. "If you insist." He put away the shovel he was holding and pointed to the two haybales that stood in the box, waiting for him to spread across the floor. But right now, they should suffice as seating furniture.

Sarah curled up atop the packed hay, putting her legs across each other for a more relaxed position that also allowed her to look straight at her brother. Hernan sat down beside her, opposing Sarah's plan of eye contact by placing himself looking toward the box door so that she was instead looking at his left ear. He really was good at this passive-aggressive schtick.

"Can you look at me?" Sarah tried not to sound annoyed, even though she was. She was here to apologize, not to cause further drama.

With a groan, Hernan slightly tilted his head toward her. Sarah supposed it would have to do.

"I'm sorry about the other night," she started. "I was... not having a good day and I took it out on you and Des. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you shouldn't," Hernan replied, seemingly not quite ready to engage with her. "So what had happened before you came home that was so upsetting that you had to meddle in my business?"

A lot of things had happened but it seemed easier to just state the obvious reason that her brother could relate to. "The coach benched me for the game."

Hernan turned fully toward Sarah now, having had his interest piqued by the mention of soccer. "Why?" he asked. "The coach doesn't know what she's doing if she's not playing you. There is no better striker on the team. I should go talk to her and tell her how to coach a team. I think I know Coach Torres from when I was playing anyway."

"You should not!" Sarah interjected, wanting to avoid the mortal embarrassment of having her brother defend her honor as a soccer player. "The coach wanted me to tell you she remembers scouting you though and that she's seen few defenders of your caliber."

"Then she should listen to my expertise," Hernan insisted. "I'll make sure to be there the next game."

"You haven't seen the new girl play though," Sarah replied, her blood running hot just thinking about those pink bangs swaying in the wind in the heat of the game. "Victoria. She's from England, and she's... super annoying." And super hot, but she probably shouldn't say that to her brother.

"I can't see how she would best you though."

Sarah on the other hand, could see that. Victoria had bested her in many ways, not only on the field. "Regardless, I shouldn't have reacted like I did. You and Des are of course free to hang out whenever you want. I don't control either of you. And if you would one day become romantically involved, no one would be happier than me. My brother and my best friend together. But if she's not the girl for you, then any girl you end up with will be lucky."

Hernan nodded and then looked at her with a cheeky grin. "Who says I'm going to end up with a girl?" he asked.

Sarah couldn't hide her amazement. Considering her own novel revelations regarding attraction, perhaps she should have a more open mind. "Wh-what do you mean?" she stuttered. "Are you not straight?"

Hernan shrugged. "I'm just saying," he said, a smile still on his face from her reaction. "You shouldn't assume things about me, Sarah. I'm your brother but that doesn't mean you know everything about me, or that it's your role to decide what I want."

Still somewhat in shock, Sarah just nodded. She's changed and realized things about herself since she was a kid, so of course Hernan had done the same.

Her most recent realization lay on the tip of her tongue, ready to spring out in the open. A few moments of quiet passed as Sarah tried to figure out how to best present her truth.

"I..." she found herself saying before she even truly felt ready. But maybe she never would feel ready. So she inhaled one more time and then threw out the words. "I'm not straight. I like a girl, like really like you know."

"Cool," her brother replied without missing a beat.

"Is that all you have to say?"

Hernan looked at her. "What do you want me to say, Sarah? Did you think I would get upset? You don't know me very well then. You have to do better than that to shock me."

"I... I don't know." She chuckled, unsure of what her expectations had even been.

"I mean, my best friend is gay, so I hope you know I'm an ally in that regard. I've even been to a gay club with Ty and Robby once."

"You have?" Sarah looked at her brother in shock. A gay bar just didn't seem like Hernan Mendoza's scene. He was a farmer boy who preferred to dress in worn jeans and t-shirt. But perhaps that wasn't all he was.

Hernan nodded. "It was fun," he said, an indecipherable smile on his lips. "Ty and Robby abandoned me after fifteen minutes to make out in a corner, so I was left by myself at the bar. One of the drag queens who performed that night took pity on me and talked to me most of the night. Travis was his name, although he went by Miss T."

Sarah could only stare at her brother in confusion. Who was he? This was not the brother she knew. She had thought she was the one who would drop bomb shells during this conversation.

"We still talk sometimes," Hernan continued. "Nice guy. Great sense of style. Excellent kisser."

"What?" Sarah couldn't contain herself anymore. "You kissed a guy? I thought you liked Des?"

Hernan shrugged. "I don't see how one eliminates the other. I would say I'm pansexual if you have to know, and probably demi as well. But I am mostly toward the female attraction side on the Kinsey scale if that's what you're asking."

"How do you know all this terminology?" Sarah looked at her brother in awe.

"What kind of hillbilly do you take me for?" Hernan shook his head, his cheeks blushing from the amusement of shocking his sister. "I can read you know. And I hang with queer people quite a lot. I've picked some stuff up from Ty and Robby and their friends."

"Have you told mom and dad?"

Her brother raised an eyebrow. "I don't tell our parents about everyone I make out with, Sarah, and I hope you don't either. Some things need to be private. If I were in a relationship with someone though, I would of course tell them. Me and Travis decided we were better off as friends though, so there is nothing to tell."

"Yeah..." Sarah muttered. "So you think I... shouldn't tell them?"

"I think you should wait until you have something to tell. So once you make it official with Victoria, then you can introduce her to them and tell them."

"Wait?" Sarah stared at her brother in confusion for the umpteenth time during this conversation. "How do you know it's Victoria?"

"Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out." Hernan chuckled. The joy in his eyes told her that he was at least no longer mad at her, just very amused by teasing her, as siblings tended to be. "Even a simple alpaca farmer can do that. Your cheeks were blushing red when you talked about her, and obviously, her arrival has rattled you. Just don't let her distract you from your goals. You've liked soccer for a lot longer than you've liked her."

"Yeah..." Sarah mumbled. She knew her brother was right but acting in accordance was a lot harder than it seemed. Victoria was just so damn distracting.