Page 135 of Faking the Shot

Moment of truth time. She bolstered within. “Correct.”

Rosie gasped.

“I know I have another year on my contract, but after that I’d like to be written out.”

Mal nodded. “Good.”

“Good?” Rosie asked.

“It will make this next thing far easier to say.”

“Mal, no,” Rosie whispered, her eyes large like she was watching her percentage of Ainsley’s large salary fade away.

“I’m glad you’re finally being honest, Ainsley, as we can’t afford to have someone who consistently flouts our code of conduct,” Mal said. “I feel you give me no other option than to say we are going to have to terminate your contract, effective immediately.”

She pushed against her seat, her chest feeling like she’d been slammed with a large boulder.

“You can’t terminate her contract,” Rosie protested. “She’s got another year left on it.”

That she did. What would Mal do about that?

“I think you’ll find the contract contains the clause about unbecoming and unsatisfactory behavior—”

“I reject that my behavior has been unsatisfactory,” Ainsley said.

“Ithasbeen unbecoming.”

“Not to someone who is doing her best to follow Jesus.”

Mal pointed at her. “If you think you can follow Jesus like that and work in this industry, then I think you’re sadly mistaken.”

For a moment she burned to tell him of some of the other Christians she knew working in the industry. But she kept her mouth shut. Who knew what Mal might do in this moment? He seemed so angry that he might terminate Harrison’s contract too.

“Fans don’t want your good intentions rammed down their throat, Ainsley,” Mal roared. “TV is about ratings, not trying to educate the fans about real life. They don’t want real life. They want the fantasy, they want to escape. That’s what this industry is about.”

Emotion roared through her chest. “I would rather follow Jesus than work in an industry where predatory men take advantage of innocent young girls who are just starting out in their career, who then go on to question their own judgement about everything. I would rather follow Jesus than trust those who clearly don’t have my best interests at heart, and who make decisions based on their cut of the pie. I would rather make a difference and shine a light and help women escape from places of darkness than play pretend and naively think everything’s all right. And I know I don’t have everything together, but I am done playing pretend.”

She looked at Rosie. “Rosie, thank you for standing up for me, especially against Baden Daniels when he tried to hurt me after stupid, naive me fell for him all those years ago.”

Mal blinked, but she pressed on.

“Thank you for continuing to fight for me, even with this latest stupid round of photoshopped images.” Photoshopped with her new hairstyle. Those cockroaches were persistent. “But I cannot continue in this arrangement, where I feel like you’re trying to control me. I am more than my hair, more than these roles you keep foisting on me. So unless you can offer me something that I can truly believe in, that aligns with my values as a Christian who is trying to make a difference in this world, then I’m afraid I won’t be needing your services any longer.”

Rosie gasped.

“Now,” Ainsley pushed back from her computer while offering an Academy Award-winner of a smile, “I have to leave to catch a ferry to go see my aunt who is dying. Thank you for your time. God bless, and good night.”

And she switched off the computer, slumped in her seat, and cried.

CHAPTER26

“No way. What the actual—?”

Zac glanced across the locker room at where Logan was looking at his phone.

“What’s happened?” Drew asked, stripping off his practice jersey.

Logan glanced at Zac. “Did you know this?”

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