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MidReal Story
Fate's Melody: Taylor's TikTok Dilemma
Scenario:Taylor Swift: If TikTok Is Banned, I Will Leave the U.S.
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“I just can’t believe this is what you do in your spare time,” Emma says, lying across from me on my couch.
“Do you think it’s how AOC gets her ideas for legislation?”
I playfully ignore her as I scroll through my For You page, which is now filled with videos about . I’m officially in deep.
“Seriously, Tay, we need to get you out of the house more often.”
“You’re in the house and you’ve been here for nearly two hours,” I reply, finally looking up.
I set my phone down by my side.
“Besides, it’s not like you don’t do the same thing with cat videos on YouTube.”
“Yeah, but I can’t imagine a world where I’d actually use that as a way to connect with fans.”
I raise an eyebrow at her, and she chuckles.
“Fine, fine,” she says.
“It’s just so… young.”
Oh, come on.” I pick up my phone again and start scrolling through more videos.
“I’m not exactly a grandma.
I can enjoy TikTok just like everyone else.”
Emma scoffs and props herself up on her elbows.
“Enjoy it or be obsessed with it?”
“Oh, shut up.” I laugh and throw a pillow at her.
“I am not obsessed with TikTok.
I just like that it’s a way for me to connect with fans outside of my music and work.
It’s nice to be able to show people something a bit more casual and fun.”
She raises an eyebrow at me, her green eyes wide.
“Are we talking about the same app that you’ve watched tutorials on how to do the perfect stitches for embroidery?”
I can feel myself blushing.
It’s not a big deal.”
Emma laughs so hard she snorts.
“The only thing that would be better is if you were actually posting your own tutorials.”
“It’s not like that,” I say, but even I don’t buy it.
“It’s not like I’m on there all the time or anything.”
She gives me a look that says she doesn’t believe me but lets me change the subject anyway.
“So have you heard anything about the app being banned?”
“Yeah, Trump is trying to get rid of it but Microsoft might buy it out first.”
She scrunches her nose.
“That’s good, I guess,” she says.
“It would have been a shame if it disappeared right before you got to go viral.”
I laugh and shake my head.
“Please, like that’s ever going to happen.”
“I don’t know,” Emma says, her voice teasing.
“I think you’re pretty close already.”
“Oh, come on,” I say.
“You really think people would want to see me on there?”
I ask, and she raises an eyebrow at me.
“It’s not like I’m that interesting, Emma,” I tell her.
She gives me a look, but after a moment, she relents.
“Okay, maybe you have a point there,” she admits.
I give her a look and then go back to my phone, happy to be able to scroll through my feed again.
A few seconds later, something dawns on me.
It’s the motto, that’s what it is.” I say, and Emma looks at me in confusion.
“The motto of the company,” I explain.
“It’s ‘don’t be evil’.”
“That’s what they want you to think,” Emma replies.
Before I can say anything else, she jumps off the couch and lunges for my phone, trying to wrestle it out of my hand.
“What are you doing?”
I ask even as I pull my phone out of her reach.
“Just checking something really quickly—”
“Don’t you dare post that video of me singing in the car after we went out for margaritas last weekend!”
I yell back at her, and she pouts as she sits back down on the couch opposite me.
“You wouldn’t dare post that video online—your fans would never let me live it down!”
“I don’t know—I think they’d like to see how you let loose when you’re not acting all proper in front of the cameras.”
“You have a lot more videos of yourself being less than proper than I do!”
I point out just as my phone starts to ring from where I’d set it down on the couch next to me.
I grab it quickly and swipe to answer before looking at Emma apologetically as I put it up to my ear.
“Hey, Liam,” I say as I answer the call.
“I didn’t wake you up by calling at this hour, did I?”
Liam asks with a chuckle.
He sounds wide awake.
“No, not at all.
I was up already,” I reply.
“You were up?”
he asks.
“I thought you were going to bed early after your gig last night?”
“I was but…”
Emma is staring at me intently, and it makes my stomach drop.
I can tell she’s waiting for me to explain.
“Well, Emma’s here, and we were just talking about…”
I start, but then my voice trails off.
I can’t do this on the phone.
I need to talk to Liam in person.
“When can we meet up this week?”
“Are you okay?”
he asks, his tone serious.
“I’m fine,” I say quickly.
“I just…
I want to talk in person.
I feel like this whole thing might be a bigger deal than it was before, especially now that it looks like it’s really going to be banned in a few days.
I’ve been trying to get an appointment to meet with President Biden for a while now, but it’s been hard to get through all of the security and red tape.
If TikTok is banned in a few days and we don’t have a plan in place, then…
Well, then I’m not sure what will happen.
It’s not like there are any other apps that are like that out there, and that—it just feels like TikTok has become a creative outlet for me as well as a way for me to connect with my fans.
And if it disappears…
I don’t want to think about it, but…
That’s what Emma is here for.
She knows how to take care of me when things get overwhelming—and right now, just thinking about it is overwhelming.
“Well, if you need anything…”
“I know,” I reply.
“I’ll see you soon.I love you.”
“I love you too,” he says before hanging up the phone.
Emma gives me a sympathetic look, and it’s all over then.
Tears start rolling down my cheeks even though there isn’t really a reason for me to be crying.
