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Informationen zum Autor Jessica Burkhart (a.k.a. Jessica Ashley) is the author of the Unicorn Magic and Canterwood Crest series, which you can learn more about at CanterwoodCrest.com. She is a former equestrian who writes from her apartment in Tennessee. (It's not the size of Crystal Castle, but Jess tries to decorate like a princess!) Jess's aura would be hot pink and she loves glittery things. If she had a unicorn, it would be named Sparkle. Visit Jess at JessicaBurkhart.com.Chosen SCHOOL DAZE ON SUNNY MONDAY MORNING, DAD DROVE ME the half hour it took to get to school like he did every morning. He always ended the ride with a funny, “hip” saying. This May morning hadn’t been any different. “G2G, Laur,” Dad said. I could see him focus on the acronyms. “Holler back if you need a ride.” Grinning, I got out of the car. “Don’t talk to anyone. Please.” Dad headed for work and I went into the school’s main building. I walked down the hallway of Yates Preparatory School to my locker. I dropped my heavy backpack on the floor and spun the combination into my lock until it clicked open. Yates was my fave school so far of all the schools I’d attended. I’d moved around a lot to compete on the show circuit and Yates was my third school. Doing well academically had always been important to me, and I’d worked hard to keep up my grades while riding. I’d even taken extra courses online last summer. It had paid off when I’d been accepted to Yates. “Hey, LT.” I peered around the metal door and saw Taylor grinning at me. “Hi,” I said, hugging him. He was a few inches taller than me and his cropped blond hair had been bleached by the sun from spending so many hours practicing in the pool. His tanned skin contrasted with my own pale coloring. I took in the sprinkle of freckles across his nose that I loved. “Missed you this weekend,” I said. “Me too.” Taylor held my hand, leaning up against the lockers. “I hate it when things get so crazy. But Dad insisted that I shadow him at his office, even though it was a weekend.” I rolled my eyes. Taylor and I had been together for five months, and his dad, an investment banker, seemed to want Taylor to decide to follow in the family footsteps and take over the business. Like, yesterday. “I’m sorry he’s pressuring you so much,” I said. “We’re twelve . Aren’t we supposed to be able to change whatever we want to be every day if we want?” Taylor squeezed my hand, letting it go so he could shove his hands into his pockets. “I’m used to it.” He smiled. “Anyway, Mondays are gross enough. Let’s talk about something waaay better.” “Like?” The enthusiasm in his hazel eyes was infectious. “Want to go out on Saturday night? We can do something fun—whatever you want.” “Whatever I want? I like the sound of that.” We smiled at each other. “I’d love to.” The warning bell rang, startling us both. I hadn’t even gathered my books for class. Yates had a zero-tolerance policy for lateness and I didn’t want to spend my afternoon in detention. “Perfect,” Taylor said. “Text you later.” “Bye.” My excitement about going out with Taylor on Friday made me grab my math book instead of the one I needed for history class. I realized it just before I closed my locker. I switched out the books then hurried to the class I shared with Brielle and Ana. Yates was so small I got to share a lot of classes with my two best friends. Everyone knew everyone here. At first, I’d been worried about fitting in. The size of the school made it seem cliquey. But Brielle and Ana had become instant...
