Santana sat cross-legged on her bed, lights out, laptop in front of her. It was late, the rest of the house was asleep. She sat, eyes glued to the glow of the computer screen, the only sound the dull humming of the device and the occasional purr of her air conditioning. She had the stream muted and was watching with the captions on so as not to disturb the others. She watched and read and tried to understand what was being said.
The amendment passed, 39-29. She held her breath - what did this mean? But they were still debating, there was still more to be voted on. She watched as the senators explained themselves - a tale of coming out, another about endless research and a changed mind, about how rights should be given to all.
Another vote.
Santana watched as the list of names who voted "nay" grew longer and longer. She counted, hoping beyond hope that it was the minority. And then;
33-29, the bill passes!
She let out a breath she didn't know she was still holding, and a sob came with it, silent but fierce. A tear rolled down her cheek and a smile spread across her face. New York - she'd been dreaming of running off to the Big City after graduation for a long time now, hoping she'd find acceptance and tolerance and be able to be herself. Santana's hand shook as she raised it to wipe the tears from her face. She couldn't wait to get out of this town and head somewhere that, in this one act, had already shown her more love and compassion than Lima, Ohio would ever be able to.
