Helicopter (Cinderella Boy)

Prologue (Age 14)

Deacon beamed as he typed away on his laptop, finishing the final words of his novel. The idea originated from his school's librarian, Mrs. Miller. She'd taken note of how much the boy loved reading and suggested that he try writing a book of his own.

So over the past few months, Deacon had gone into hyperdrive. Whenever he had free time, not doing homework or work for any extracurricular his parents encouraged him to join, he was on his laptop, spilling out word after word.

"... and as they looked up at the horizon, they smiled. While their ship might sink, their love never will."

"Dorkin!" A shrill voice sounded behind Deacon, and he let out a shriek. Turning around in his bedroom's desk chair, Deacon turned to see his cousin barging into his room. Again.

"Charlie! What- what're you doing here? I thought we weren't having any visitors today?" Deacon asked, subconsciously lowering his laptop.

Charlie shrugged, sitting down on his cousin's bed. "I don't really know, either. My parents have been doing that secret whisper thingy, you know how it is. I overheard last night that my dad's thinking about going to a doctor, but wanted to ask Dale about it first. They don't tell me stuff, which is stupid! I'm turning thirteen in..." He squinted his eyes, humming. "... Like five months!"

Deacon's brows furrowed at the mention of his uncle, but he gave a curt nod. "Oh, okay."

"Yep," Charlie responded blandly, before glancing over at Deacon's laptop. "Woah, is that a Google Doc you have pulled up? I mean, I'm more of a Slides guy, but cool! What're you doing? Oh, wait, is it some weird high school essay?"

"... Uh..." Deacon trailed off, feeling his face flush in embarrassment. "... If I tell you, you promise not to make fun of me?"

At the mention of potential blackmail, Charlie's face lit up. "Yep! Sure! Whatever! Show me!"

With a sigh, Deacon used his right index finger to lift his tilted laptop. "I'm, uh... Writing a novel. Mrs. Miller said it'd be a good idea since I read so much, and it's been pretty fun. I just finished the rough draft, though, so-" The next thing Deacon knew, his laptop was in his cousin's lap.

"Yeah, cool," Charlie said contentedly, touching the screen to scroll to the top. Deacon internally cringed. He hated fingerprint smudges. Scanning the first few lines, Charlie cracked into a smile. "Oh my God, it's a stupid pirate book?"

Deacon's face flushed, eyes widening. "I-it's not stupid-!"

"Chill, I'm just teasing," Charlie shrugged, "It seems pretty good. Not my favorite, but can I read it? Ooh, if this gets a movie adaptation, you can cast me as the lead! Right?"

Deacon's lips lifted at the edges, turning into a slight smile. So he was a good writer. "Uhm... I suppose, maybe. But are you sure? You'd have to say a bunch of romantic lines-"

"Ew, never mind. I'll be the cool best friend that ends up with the male siren or something."

As time went on, Charlie continued reading Deacon's rough draft, making verbal comments here and there. Deacon, in the meantime, was doing some early studying for his Spanish test next week. Foreign languages had never been his strong suit.

Eventually, the door opened, and Beth stepped inside Deacon's room. An uncharacteristic flash of concern in her eyes seemed to be directed at Charlie, followed by confusion. "... Why are you looking at Deacon's laptop? I've told you, please don't meddle with his homework-"

"Don't worry, Auntie! This is some super cool story Deacon wrote, no homework!" Charlie said, moving the Google Doc up. "I'm four chapters in, I really like it!"

Beth blinked, glaring at Deacon for a moment. "... Ah, I see. Well, your parents are about to go. It was... Nice to see you."

"Oh, okay," Charlie nodded, looking up at Deacon. "Can you share this doc with me so I can look at it later?"

"Uh... Yeah, sure," Deacon agreed, watching as Charlie set down the laptop and scampered down the hall. His eyes flashed up to his mother worriedly. "At least... I got Charlie to read something. You know how he is with books."

"Your cousin's book carelessness is the least of my concerns, Deacon." Beth rubbed her temples, sighing in frustration. "What have I told you about wasting time on crap like this? Your father got into a good college because he studied. Do you want to flunk out of your first year of med school?"

"N-no, Mom, I-"

"Then spend your time on stuff that's actually important. You're lucky I still allow you to read those fantasy novels, only because reading fiction can improve your intellect. You're going to be a doctor, not an author."

Deacon looked down at his lap, furrowing his brows. "... Right. Sorry, Mom."

Beth nodded, stepping closer to give Deacon a gentle hug. "It's okay. I only want what's best for you, okay? Your uncle didn't care about intellect, and look where he is now. Nearly all of Charlie's belongings are your hand-me-downs. We're just trying to set you up for success, Deacon. We love you."

"... I love you guys, too."