There was no way in hell Cameron was going to turn in this manuscript. No. Freaking. Way.

Cameron sighed and closed her laptop, not wanting to look at what she’d written for another second. She wanted to throw the stupid computer out the window, but she knew her bank account would not appreciate that. Neither would it appreciate if she didn’t turn in this book. She had a deadline, and if she didn’t turn it in, she was going to lose a lot of money.

She only needed to write the last chapter. While it would be easy to write the sappy ending she knew her readers wanted, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d written the whole book in terms of what others wanted her to write, but she couldn’t stand it. It was cheap writing and a cheaper ending.

Just then, Cameron received a call from her editor–perfect timing…

“Hey, Cam! How’s the book coming along?” chirped Lola, her pushy editor.

Cameron only groaned in response.

“It’s that bad, huh?” Lola said.

“It’s worse than bad. It’s catastrophic. I can’t turn this in, Lola.”

“Oh, come on. You say this about everything you write.”

Cameron started shaking her head vigorously, even though she knew Lola couldn’t see her. “I mean it this time. I can’t end my series like this.”

“Cam, I’ve read this thing a million times over, and I’m telling you it’s amazing. Your fans will love it.”

“Can you convince the publishers at Bookish to extend my deadline? I can write something better.”

Lola sighed. “You know as well as I do that it’s not possible. Unless you want to break your deal and lose out on your money…and never work with Bookish again. And possibly be blacklisted from the publishing community…and disappoint all your fans–“

“Okay, okay! Jeez Lola, I get it.”

“I hope you do. Because if you don’t turn in this book, it’ll be my ass, too. And as much as I love you, I do not want to go down with you, you hear me? If not for yourself or your fans, do it for me.”

Lola always had such a way with words. “Fine,” Cameron said through gritted teeth. “But if it flops, I’m going to blame you.”

“Blame me all you want. We’ll both be swimming in money and I won’t care,” she said sweetly. “Now finish that damn thing and send it to me, then you can turn it in and never have to think about it again.” She hung up.

Cameron groaned again and opened her computer. The deadline was tomorrow, so she might as well get it out of the way and put it behind her for good. She wrote out the sappy, predictable ending that she knew her readers wanted, then closed her computer and put it away, disgusted with herself. She’d take a look at it one more time tomorrow before turning it in, but for now, she was done.

As Cameron slept that night, she dreamt of the public mobbing her because of how terrible her book was. They turned into towering letters and were slowly crushing her. But then, out of the nightmare, something else came to her…

Cameron leapt out of her bad and ran to her computer. She deleted the last chapter she’d written and began typing furiously before the idea could leave her head. When she’d finished, she sat back in satisfaction, then went back and re-read what she’d written, editing it as she went along. Then she went ahead and sent it to her publishers at Bookish.

Lola would kill her for not letting her read it before turning it in, but she didn’t want Lola to try and change her mind about the ending. Satisfied, Cameron went back to sleep.

The next morning, Cameron woke to six missed calls from Lola. With dread, Cameron called her back.

“Are you absolutely fucking insane?” Lola screeched.

“Lola, calm down–“

“What were you thinking with that ending? The publishers are furious! They called me asking why you ended it like that, and as surprised as I was, I tried my best to cover for your ass! Why did you turn it in without having me read it first?”

Cameron sighed. “Because I knew you wouldn’t approve.”

“And for good reason, too! How could you do this? Do you realize what this will do to the fans? What the publishers will do? You might not get another deal with them.”

“Hey, I wrote an ending that I was happy with. Isn’t that better than thoughtlessly catering to the wants of others?”

“No,” Lola practically growled.

“Well, it’s too late anyway. I’ve turned it in, and there’s no going back.”

Lola let out a frustrated yell. “I hope for both our sakes that this goes over well.” Then she was gone.

Despite Lola’s strong disapproval, Cameron couldn’t help but feel proud of herself. It was one of the best endings she’d ever written. To hell with Lola’s opinion, her publishers, and the public.

Cameron finally felt like a true writer.