The next afternoon, Lorelei and Mirabela rode the limousine to the college to pick up the twins.

"Ah, Holly, Calvin, how was your morning?" Lorelei asked.

"Good, Mom," Calvin replied.

"Just fine, Mother," Holly chimed in.

"Okay, off to the mall for lunch," Lorele said.

The family rode through the city to mall. Along the way, Mirabela saw how beautiful the city was. It was sure different than Bahía de Rosa.

"Enjoying the city, are we, Mira?" Calvin asked.

"Never seen an actual city before?" Holly asked flatly.

"Not since my mother was alive," Mirabela replied. "My parents and I went on a family trip to Bogotá when I was five."

"What's Bogotá?" Calvin asked.

"The national capital city of Colombia," Mirabela replied. "It was really big and beautiful, and while I'm still getting used to the big city, Heartlake City has plenty to offer."

"Well, let me tell you something, dear," Lorelei smiled. "We go on a traditional family trip to Los Angeles for Labor Day. If you think Heartlake City is good enough, wait until you see what Los Angeles has to offer."

"Yeah, you're sure to love it," Calvin agreed.

Mirabela had no idea what to think. She'd spent the last 11 years limited to everything Bahía de Rosa had to offer. Now that she was living in the United States with a stepfamily, there was more to offer. Mirabela was never bored with her hometown, but she always wondered what life had in store. On the other hand, Holly was dismayed at having to share the family tradition with Mirabela. The trip used to be just for her and her mother and brother—and now that she had a stepfather and stepsister, she had to share the trip with them from now on. Holly didn't understand why it had to be this way.

Lorelei and the kids met up with Ramiro at the mall food court, just like they did yesterday, and they told him about the Labor Day weekend trip to Los Angeles.

"Los Angeles for the Labor Day weekend?" Ramiro asked. "Well, that's really something. What do you think, nena?"

"It'll be different, but it's sure to be good," Mirabela replied.

"Once you see Los Angeles for yourself, you'll be glad you went," Lorelei smiled.

Meanwhile, River was in the mall, showing off his biceps and getting lots of attention from girls. "Yes, ladies, check out these guns," he smirked.

"Wow, River, you're a serious chick magnet," Clyde gaped.

"I know," River boasted.

"No girl in town would ever refuse to look at you," Horace said.

"It's true, Clyde and Horace, and I've got my sight set on that one," River said, pointing in the distance.

Clyde and Horace turned to see that River was pointing to...

"Mirabela Flores?" Horace gasped.

"She's the one, the lucky girl I'm going to marry," River claimed.

"But of all the girls in Heartlake City, why her?" Clyde asked.

"Because she's the most beautiful girl in town, and that makes her the best—and everyone knows I deserve the best," River claimed. "Right from the moment when I met Mirabela, I saw how gorgeous she was, and that's when I fell in love. Here in Heartlake City, there's only she is beautiful as I, so I'm making plans to marry her. I want her life to be perfect, and the only #1 way to do that is if she marries me."

"Well, then you'd better hurry because there she goes," Horace said, pointing in the distance.

River turned to find that Mirabela was walking away into the mall with her stepmother, and he went after her.

Meanwhile, Lorelei dropped Mirabela off at Artsy Wonderland. "Okay, Mira, I'll send Bailey to come and get you in a few hours, okay?" she told her stepdaughter.

"Okay, Lorelei," Mirabela smiled.

"I'll see you later," Lorelei said. Then she went off into the mall.

Wherever he looked, River couldn't find Mirabela, and he was getting frustrated. "Where on earth is she?" he asked.

"Didn't Calvin and Holly say that she was looking for a job?" Clyde recalled.

"Don't remind me," River huffed. "The only job she needs is to be a housewife—MY housewife."

Nearby, Holly was coming out of a store with lots of shopping bags.

"Holly, where's Mirabela?" River asked.

"She's covering someone's shift at Artsy Wonderland today," Holly replied.

"Great, thanks," River said before he went on his way.

In Artsy Wonderland, Mr. Jackson was giving Mirabela her first task. "I need you to organize these drawing books by color and level," he told her.

"Easy enough," Mirabela said.

"Good," Mr. Jackson smiled. "I'll leave you to it."

Mirabela started to put the drawing books in their places. Before she knew it, River came up to her.

"Hello, Mirabela," River smirked.

"Hola, River," Mirabela said, barely even looking at him. She picked up a drawing book only for River to take it out of her hand. "River, if you wanted a book, you could've just asked me for one."

"Why would you want to read this?" River asked. "There's no pictures."

"These are instruction books that teach you how to draw objects and characters," Mirabela snorted.

River threw the book aside and said, "Mirabela, it's about time you got your head out of your fantasy world and paid attention to more important things, like me."

"Oh, ¿es verdad?" Mirabela scoffed, picking up the book.

"You really need to understand," River told her. "It's not right for a woman to work, read, or paint. Soon, she starts getting ideas, thinking..."

"River, how you even got into college with your thinking skills is beyond me," Mirabela scoffed.

"Why, thank you, Mirabela," River chuckled. He put his arm around Mirabela and tried to walk her out of the store. "How about you and me go over to that fancy restaurant at the other side of the mall?"

"No puedo, River," Mirabela frowned, slipping herself out of River's arm. "I just had a big lunch, and I'm supposed to work now."

River wasn't very happy that Mirabela wouldn't pay attention to him. "Okay, go ahead and work," he said, trying to make her feel bad. "Let me go on my own with no girl to pay attention to me."

"But lots of girls have given you lots of attention," Horace spoke up.

But River just shot Horace a hateful glare.

"Please, I must ask you to leave, and let Mirabela get to work," Mr. Jackson frowned. "Go on—shoo!"

River just left the store with Clyde and Horace by his side. "I just don't get it," he huffed. "I'll never understand what goes through her head."

"Well, we don't get what's going through yours," Clyde told him. "Of all the pretty girls in the world—or at least Heartlake City—you insist on wasting your time with one who doesn't even like you."

"Yeah, River, how is she the prettiest girl in the city, compared to the girls you've known your whole life?" Horace asked.

"Because none of the girls I've met can never meet her level of beautiful," River replied. "That's why she's the girl for me."

"Well, you ought to give the girl her space now," Horace said. "She's been through a lot of grief already—her mom died when she was kid, she has a new stepfamily, and she moved out of her home country. The girl's been through a lot."

"That's what I'm here for," River insisted. "With me as her husband, her life is sure to be perfect."

Clyde and Horace didn't understand why River wouldn't accept that Mirabela didn't like him. He should already know by now that life was too short to chase a girl like her, and it was hard to believe that he was in college.

In the store, Mirabela was putting the books away, like she was asked, and she was really upset thanks to that one experience. A nearby employee named Mike came up to her.

"Man trouble, I see?" Mike asked.

"Sí, River is so rude, conceited, arrogant, obnoxious, selfish, smug, and in love with himself," Mirabela hugged. "He thinks that just because I'm a girl with a stepmother, I'm a damsel in distress in need of rescuing."

"Yuck," the employee blanched.

"My life has been a real mess since my mother died when I was eight," Mirabela sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mira," Mike apologized. "I'm sure it'll get better for you sooner rather than later."

"Gracias," Mirabela smiled.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Mike said, leaving her alone.

It felt so good to have someone to talk to about that. Mirabela wished she could find a man to love, but she just moved here and didn't know any boys in this city. She just didn't know what to do.

A few hours later, Bailey came to pick up Mirabela, who'd had a very bad day. She didn't feel like telling Bailey what she did, and she wasn't in the mood to admire the city on the way home. Soon enough, they made it to the manor house. The minute Bailey opened the door to let Mirabela out, she jumped right out and ran inside and straight to her bedroom like a roadrunner in the desert, to her stepmother's concern.

Later that evening, Mirabela was still in her bedroom, drawing in a sketchbook, when she heard a knock on her door.

"Miraboo?" Ramiro called through the door.

"Entre," Mirabela called back.

Ramiro entered with Lorelei by his side. "Mira, ¿que te pasa?" he asked.

"Yeah, when you got home from work, you just ran up here and wouldn't come out," Lorelei chimed in. "What happened?"

"River Riverson happened," Mirabela huffed. "He tried to drag me out of work because he believed he was more important, and then he tried to gaslight me into leaving with him."

"Oh, that River," Ramiro frowned.

"I've had terrible luck with boys since freshman year of high school," Mirabela sighed. "They only loved me for the way I looked. Cinderella's stepsisters never realized how lucky they are to be so ugly that no man would never love them. I wish I could be that ugly."

"Oh, Mira, don't talk like that," Ramiro consoled her. "You know, your mother always envied that ugliness, too—she hated being beautiful because she was sure it would be the only way man would like her, but I loved her inner beauty."

"¿De verdad?" Mirabela asked.

"Sí, and I'm sure you'll find a nice man who will support you the way I supported her—all of you," Ramiro smiled.

"Your father is right, sugar cookie," Lorelei agreed. "Besides, you're still a teenager. You have your whole life to find someone like him."

Mirabela smiled at her father and stepmother. "Gracias," she said.

"Okay," Lorelei grinned. "Well, you've been hiding up here long enough—time for dinner."

"Okay, Lorelei," Mirabela said.

In the dining hall, the family got together for dinner.

"So, how was work, Ramiro?" Calvin asked.

"Can't complain," Ramiro replied.

Calvin was pleased that his stepfather had a good day, but then he turned to his younger sister, whom he hadn't seen the whole afternoon. "Bad day, Mira?" he guessed.

"River Riverson," Mirabela said flatly.

"Oh, brother," Calvin muttered.

"Well, I had a great afternoon," Holly boasted. "I've been practicing my ballet dancing."

"Good on you, Holly," Lorelei smiled.

That night, Mirabela was in her pajamas, and she looked at her reflection in her vanity mirror. She was really sad, and she doubted she'd ever find a man who loved her for who she was, not how she looked. She sadly began to sing her own version of "Reflection" from the Disney Princess movie Mulan.

Look at me

I will only make men fall in love with me

For my outer beauty

Can it be?

I'm not meant to find true love

Now I see

Finding someone whom I will truly love is just going to be too tough

Who is that girl I see,

Staring straight back at me?

Why is my appearance always so important?

Somehow, I cannot hide

How I look, though I've tried

When will my appearance show who I am inside?

How I pray

That a time will come, I will find a man

Who will truly love me

There's no way

I will marry a man who just loved my looks

And treats me unfairly

I want a love so true

But I'm not sure what I should do

Where on earth could I ever find a good man?

Must I take it in stride?

Because my pain, I cannot hide

When will my appearance show who I am inside?

When will my appearance show who I am inside?