almost | taylor swift au

chapter 32

"So yeah," Gracie sighs as she tells the story to Taylor, who is looking at her in disbelief. "I walked out. I lost nearly six months' worth of music... music that I was really proud of, but ultimately, it would have been worse for me than staying would have been."

"You couldn't keep any of it?" She had no idea that that was something that could happen. It feels so unfair- the words that Gracie penned, about experiences that she had, situations she lived to see and thoughts that haunted her in the middle of the night... and she doesn't even get to keep them. To do with them whatever she pleases.

"He has control of the masters," Gracie sighs. "And as a producer, I'd need his permission to release any of it. And he'd never give me that. Not after the way we ended. And on top of that, it would mean that he'd have to be in my life... pretty much forever. He'd get a cut of any profits that I made off of sales or streaming. It sucks, but walking away was the best decision I ever made. It was so incredibly hard to do, but it granted me the freedom that I so desperately needed."

She hears his footsteps walking up behind her. She feels his touch against her bare arms, as he rubs his hands up and down. "Hey, hey, why don't you tell me what's on your mind and we can work it out?"

"No," Gracie shakes her head. She bites down firmly on her lower lip. She isn't going to let herself cry. She can't show a sign of weakness. She has to be strong right now. "No, there's no working it out. There's no way we are going to make this work. I'm out."

"Gracie, baby girl, come on. We've made so much incredible music together. You're just having a hard day. Maybe a drink would help to take the edge off?" He goes to place a kiss on her cheek, but she squirms away, breaking free of his grasp.

The girl turns around to face her producer. "Don't touch me. Stop it. I'm going home."

"I've got a bottle of sparkling pink moscato just for you. I know that's your favorite."

"Kyle." Gracie's tone is biting. "I already told you. I don't want a drink. I don't want to stay here any longer. Are you even listening to me?"

"You'll have a few minutes before your Uber gets here. Come on, one glass?"

"No. I'm tired of you not respecting me and my boundaries. Everyone in my life is starting to notice it, and it's bad for me. I've been getting sick at school so much that one of my teachers thought that I was pregnant. I can't remember the last time that I felt well-rested. You didn't let me study for my math test a few weeks ago, and I failed it. I've never failed a test before in my life. Kyle, I'm done."

As she speaks, Gracie feels powerful. She knows that she needs to leave while she's on top. She can't give him any chance to degrade or belittle her. So, she grabs her tote bag, slings it over her shoulder, and walks out of the room.

"Goodbye," she says from the door frame. "Thank you for everything that you taught me."

And that's not a lie. He did teach her so much, beyond just music. He taught her that she's worth more than the way she was being treated. He taught her to value her own self-worth and set her boundaries with a wrought-iron fence.

Gracie steps onto the streets of Los Angeles and looks around. It's dark. It's nearly 9:00 at night. The nearest Uber won't be here for a few minutes, but she books it anyway. On high alert, she stands there, watching cars drive past and people walk by on the sidewalk in front of her. She plants her feet firmly on the ground and stands with confidence, still not allowing the tears to come. She doesn't want anyone to see her as vulnerable. She doesn't want anyone on the streets to see her as a potential victim.