Ever since he was a little boy, Corey Riffin loved Disney Princesses. To him, they were the perfect definition of beauty. He remembered when he begged his dad to get him every single Disney Princess movie so he could watch them at home. Even when he got older, he still had a soft spot for them.

Unlike other boys his age, Corey didn't imagine them wearing sexier outfits. He loved them just the way they are with their perfect faces and gorgeous gowns that fit them just right. He knew they were fictional, so he vowed to marry the girl who had every single trait he loved: Snow White's love of animals, Cinderella's heavenly beauty, Aurora's gifted singing ability, Arial's sparkling eyes, Belle's brains, Jasmine's rebellious personality, Pocahontas' way with nature, Mulan's bravery (even though he knew she technically wasn't a princess and he still didn't get why Disney put her in that category), Tiana's sassy attitude, and Rapunzel's love of adventure.

For as long as he could remember, Corey met a lot of girls in his life yet he never felt attracted to them. They had some of those traits, but not all of them. For instance, he met a girl in his gym class who was very pretty and her eyes sparkled, but she wasn't very smart. This other girl was rebellious and sassy, but she didn't appreciate nature. And how could he forget about that one girl who was a beautiful singer despite her timid personality? After so many failed attempts with finding the one perfect girl, he came to the conclusion that his dream bride was only a fantasy.

Then one day, the Peaceville Queen Bee Beauty Pageant came. By then, Corey gave up on girl searching. His main objective was to book a gig for the pageant and make sure Trina wins so she could supply the band with lyrics. He knew she dreamed of winning a pageant, so he wanted to make that dream a reality for her. He was willing to do anything to make sure she won.

Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan. The other contestants forfeited and the pageant was going to get canceled since Trina was the only participant. Corey's last resort was to contact all those girls he met and convince them to sign up. But before he could get his cell phone ready, something else happened.

"Get me a dress. I'm going in."

And so, Kin and Kon went to work on Laney. They did her hair and makeup and supplied her with a pageant dress. Corey planned to make sure Laney lost so Trina would win. After all, he knew a girl like Laney wouldn't be good pageant material. She was a tomboy with no girly traits. It was the perfect plan.

But everything changed when Corey saw Kin and Kon's work. Laney didn't even look like herself. Her short dress was black with traces of lime green on the skirt and shoulder areas. Her hair was done in two side buns with loose locks curled perfectly and violet roses circled around her head. Her face didn't change much, but it looked brighter with the perfect amount of makeup. Clip-on emerald earrings dangled from her ears, complimenting her dark green eyes. On her feet were silk lime green knee-length socks with black rims and cute black Mary Janes. At the moment, all he could think about was how beautiful she looked.

"Is this the real Laney?" he thought with a glossy look in his eyes. "Is she really this beautiful underneath those baggy clothes?" After getting over his initial shock, Corey felt the urge to compliment her.

"I gotta admit. You make a cute girl...bro."

As the pageant started, Corey stopped focusing on making sure Trina won. His thoughts shifted to Laney, his best friend since childhood. He paid little attention to the pageant and kept thinking about her in that pretty dress. He thought about all the times they had together, and he made a mental checklist.

Love of Animals: She gushed over Blade Stabbington's flaming pet rat at Camp Screamly.

Heavenly Beauty: She looked absolutely beautiful in her pageant outfit.

Gifted Singing Ability: She sounded flawless when they performed at that wedding.

Sparkling Eyes: Whenever she was happy about something.

Brains: She was very smart for a twelve-year-old girl.

Rebellious Personality: That one was obvious.

Way with Nature: She probably had that trait since she knew everything about being vegan.

Bravery: She never showed signs of stage fright when the band performed.

Sassy Attitude: If being a bit snarky counted.

Love of Adventure: She didn't have a problem with participating in his crazy ideas that just might work.

At that moment, Corey realized Laney was his dream girl. She had all of his favorite Disney Princess traits. And as Mayor Mellow announced her as the pageant winner, the blue-haired boy couldn't help but smile softly. He loved Laney so much, but he had to keep his feelings a secret. After all, she might not feel the same way about him. Maybe some day, when the time was right, he would make her his girlfriend.

Corey snapped out of his trance when Trina complained about being the runner-up. He completely forgot about making sure Trina won! Needing quick lyrics, he made Kin and Kon release some bees onto the stage. One fiery moment later, Corey got the diary. As usual, he skimmed through the latest entry for inspiration. But it wasn't what he expected.

How could I lose to a tomboy in a skirt?! I have more pageant material than her! THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!

Yep. Corey got zero inspiration from that. Then he heard Mayor Mellow disqualify Laney all because Trina could somehow control bees. He felt like voicing his objective and saying Laney deserved to win. But what would happen if he did that? Would his newfound love of Laney be obvious? Instead, Corey decided to hide those feelings through song.

He poured out his feeling in this hidden confession. This song was for Laney, and he meant every single word. She was his perfect princess, and he was the true pageant winner. He thought she was beautiful and he loved everything about her. She was tough and sweet, yet she masked her sweetness through dark makeup and boyish outfits. As he sang, he kept on glancing at Laney. She was playing a violin, showing a part of her personality as a musical prodigy. He promised to himself to let her know she was the true winner.

After the pageant, Laney was back in her tomboy look. But even with the large t-shirt and black boots, Corey saw her differently. Every small feature stood out. The enchanting dark green color in her eyes, how her hair swayed as she moved, the healthy glow of her natural skin, the perfect side of her lips... He immediately thought about those lips on his own. He was still having those thoughts even during his usual monologue. As usual, Laney said he could have used those words for lyrics, except for adding she wouldn't have worn a dress. Corey was tempted to say she would, already imagining her in a gorgeous white gown as she walked down the aisle. Instead, something else came out of his mouth.

"Well you'll never have to wear one again, fella."

After saying that, Corey saw Laney's hurt expression. And as he did his usual ending statement to the magical TV box people who watched them through special TVs in another dimension, he knew he had to make it up to her. Fortunately, he had a perfect idea that had to work.

That night, Corey arrived at the Penn household with an acoustic guitar. He estimated the location of Laney's room by seeing a rather large window, picked up random pebbles, and started to throw them. He stopped when a light came on. It wasn't long before Laney pushed the window open. From what he saw, she was wearing a light pink nightgown. Her face was free of makeup and her hair looked longer. To him, she looked so pretty in her sleepwear.

"Corey, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Laney asked, her voice sounding groggy.

Corey responded by strumming his guitar. After playing a few notes, he started to sing.

Girls dream of being princesses
And who could really blame them
The Disney ones are beautiful
And they're the well-known ones

Some guys see them differently
Through explicit pictures they draw
But I think they're fine the way they were
And this is why I love them

Snow White is the first one
Her voice made the animals like her
Cinderella is the prettiest one
Her looks cannot be beat

Aurora has a gift with song
Because of a green fairy
Arial has the biggest eyes
They sparkle like the sea

Belle is a very smart girl
She like reading fantasy books
Jasmine didn't want to follow rules
Or at least the ones involving marriage

Pocahontas was a nature girl
She identified the colors of wind
Mulan isn't really a princess
But I still admire her brave war skills

Tiana is a sassy former waitress
She always has a way with words
Rapunzel is the adventurous one
Her weapon is a frying pan

For years I've searched for the one girl
Who has all of those features
But years went by and I gave up the search
Until my sight became clearer

Laney, you're the girl I've dreamed of
You have every one of those traits
You're smart, beautiful, and adventurous
I also like the way you sing

To me you're the pageant winner
Regardless of the mayor's decision
And maybe someday when we're older
I would love to see you in a dress once more

"Core, what did you do to Trina?" Laney asked when the song was over.

"I let her sleep," Corey explained. "Didn't think it was necessary to wake her."

"Wait..." Laney said. "Are you saying you wrote those lyrics yourself?"

"I know they aren't my best work," Corey said. "I couldn't stop thinking about how cute you looked and I didn't like how Mayor Mellow made Trina the winner after she controlled those bees." He took a deep breath. "Laney Penn, you deserved to win. You looked like a princess, and I couldn't take my eyes off of you. And I'm sorry about saying you weren't going to wear dresses again. You look great in them, and I wish you would wear them more often."

"Great," Laney said with an eyeroll. "You done? I really need to get to bed."

"Oh," Corey said as his face fell. "Sorry about that. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Laney said. "See you tomorrow." As she pulled the window shut and went back to bed, Corey was disappointed. Didn't she like his song?

Laney hopped off her mini couch near the window with a smile on her face. She loved Corey's song, amazed that he knew everything about the Disney Princesses. It seemed like he had a thing for them. But not like how most guys saw them. He appeared to love them just the way Disney made them.

Just as she was about to turn off the lights, Laney looked at her reflection in her vanity mirror. She lifted her hair with both hands and let the long locks fall back into place. Did Corey compare her to a princess? Recalling those heartfelt lyrics, she smiled. He was telling her she was meant to win that pageant and he really wanted her to wear a dress in the future. But not today. She had to make herself look like a tomboy so people would appreciate her musical gift. She didn't want to cut her long, beautiful hair short, so she used some styling techniques so it appeared to look short.

Until she felt comfortable being her real self in public, Laney kept her girly side a secret. With that in mind, she turned off her bedroom light, got into her pink canopy bed, and went back to sleep. After all, tomorrow was only another day.

The End