Accidentally
Perfect
ALSO BY ELIZABETH STEVENS
unvamped
Netherfield Prep
No More Maybes
the Trouble with Hate is…
Accidentally
Perfect
Elizabeth Stevens
Sleeping Dragon Books
Accidentally Perfect
by Elizabeth Stevens
Print ISBN: 978-0648264859
Digital ISBN: 978-0648264842
Cover art by: Izzie Duffield
Copyright 2018 Elizabeth Stevens
Worldwide Electronic & Digital Rights
Worldwide English Language Print Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any form, including digital and electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the Publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews. This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For Andy,
who never gives up on me.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Accidentally Perfect
Thanks
About the Author
Chapter One
There goes the Neighbourhood.
Hadley covered my ears and glared at Tucker. “Don’t say things like that in front of the young and innocent,” she chastised and I waved her away.
“Hads,” I grumbled as I shoved her hands off me and Tucker laughed.
“Of course. My bad,” he said. “We couldn’t possibly allow Piper to know about,” he leant forwards, his hazel eyes shining, and whispered scandalously, “sex.”
Hadley put an arm around me and I gave them a friendly smile as they laughed. Because what else was I going to do? I was the innocent, virginal, sweet little Piper Barlow and my friends had decided I shouldn’t be in any rush to change myself. So they did what they called protecting me and I was plenty happy to let them.
Hadley looked at Tucker pointedly. “This is why a certain someone would be perf–”
A commotion to our right heralded Roman Lombardi staggering out of a classroom and we turned to watch Mr Dunbridge follow him. Both of them wore a scowl, although Roman’s had a hint of amused defiance about it.
As usual, Roman’s dark brown hair – shorter at the sides but longer on top – hung into his eyes, his shirt was half untucked, his tie was loose, and he carried his skateboard in one hand, his other hand a fist.
“I’m serious this time, Roman,” the School’s vice principal said as he pointed at the resident underachiever. “I catch you with it during class again and you’ll get more than detention.”
Roman held his hand up and the lighter in it flared to life. “What, this?” he asked, full of an innocence even I knew was completely fake. “This tiny little thing, Dunbridge? What do you think I’ll get up to?”
“Do you enjoy spending Friday afternoons in my company, Roman?”
That amused defiance played at Roman’s lips, but his eyes were hard and a muscle twitched in his jaw. “They’re the highlight of my week, sir.”
Mr Dunbridge sighed. “Well, consider this Friday something to look forward to.”
Roman gave him the most condescendingly mocking bow. “With pleasure, sir.” Again, he spat the word with a healthy amount of contempt.
“Get out of my sight before I kick you out, Roman,” Mr Dunbridge pointed down the hallway, clearly at the end of his tether.
“Oh, you’ve tried that three times already, Dunbridge. And, where did that get you?” Roman sneered.
Mr Dunbridge’s lip curled like he was trying to control a snarl. “Get out of here before I forget to care who your father is.”
Roman’s lip twitched but it wasn’t pleasant. “Oh, but it’s so much easier not to care, sir. Trust me, I’d know.” He threw Mr Dunbridge a completely insincere smile and whirled on his heel.
As he passed the three of us, he gave us a once over with the laziest unimpressed expression as his eyes raked us up and down. We watched him stalk out of the building as he reached into his blazer pocket.
Mr Dunbridge threw us a terse grimace masquerading as a smile before he went back into the classroom and closed the door.
Tucker snorted and Hadley smiled.
“Well, I was just thinking we hadn’t had nearly enough Roman drama this week,” Hadley commented.
Tucker smirked. “I heard Shayla’s still a lovely burnt orange under something like five layers of makeup.”
I hid a smile.
The week before, Roman and his mates had broken into the girls’ locker room and replaced all of Shayla and her clones’ moisturisers with the darkest shade of tanning lotion. I might not have liked Shayla and the idea of her being orange might have been humorous, but even that failed to detract from the fact that anyone could be the next target of one of their pranks.
“Leave poor Shayla be,” Hadley said with a grin.
“Oh, come on. She deserved it, at least.”
“That’s beside the point. How would you like to be orange?”
Tucker smiled to me. “I’m pretty sure I could pull off orange.”
“You’d look like an oompa loompa.”
“I’d make a better oompa loompa than Shayla. She’s far too grumpy.” He pouted playfully.
Hadley giggled. “Not funny.”
“Very funny. Maybe we should convince them to put Nair in the shampoo next time?”
“Stop it!” Hadley said as she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Piper, tell her. Shayla wouldn’t look anything like an angry Dwayne Johnson if she was bald, would she?”
I managed to control my smile, but Hadley responded before I could open my mouth.
“Don’t corrupt her, you arse.” She batted Tucker’s arm.
Tucker held his hands up in defence. “I’m not doing anything of the sort. I just asked Piper’s opinion.”
“And she won’t dignify your question with an answer because she’s far too polite to even think such horrid things.”
Actually, there were plenty of impolite things I could say about Shayla and the way she looked down on the rest of us regardless of whether people liked her or not. But, I wouldn’t.
“Unlike you,” Tucker pointed out.
Hadley nodded. “Someone has to make up for it.”
Tucker laughed. “Oh, so you’re only rude because Piper’s lovely?”
&nb
sp; Hadley nodded and they seemed to start heading for the doors as though we’d made a unilateral decision to move. I hurried after them after a heartbeat.
“Yes.”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me, I’m a lady.”
Hadley wasn’t a lady, but I wasn’t going to remind her in front of Tucker. Not that he needed reminding.
“Are you? My bad, I hadn’t noticed.”
They laughed as we walked outside and Celeste came bounding up to us, her honey-blonde ponytail bouncing right along with the rest of her.
“There you are!” she said with a smile as she and Hadley joined arms and Hadley absently waved for mine.
I slipped my arm into hers as we meandered along in much the same way we had since Year One.
“Tucker, man!” Craig called and I looked over to see him standing with Mason and Simon.
I felt my cheeks heat and I practically hid behind Hadley.
“I’ll see you ladies later,” Tucker teased before he jogged off, catching the football Simon threw him.
“Hey Mason!” Hadley waved enthusiastically as she elbowed me. “Oh, Piper! It’s Mason!” she said loud enough for him to hear.
“Leave it,” I hissed and Hadley giggled.
“He’d be perfect, babes. Ease you in, look after you, be a proper gentleman.”
I rolled my eyes, but I kept it to myself. “No one knows if he likes me or not. You’re making assumptions because he smiles at me sometimes.”
“He stares at you all the time,” Celeste said.
“Like someone else we know,” Hadley elbowed me again and I repaid the favour as my eyes jerked up.
Roman was over the other side of the oval where he and his mates usually were at Lunch. He was facing us, but nothing about that actually suggested he was looking at me.
“No one else looks at me.”
“Firstly, lots of people look at you. Secondly, Roman certainly does look at you.”
“God, I wish he looked at me,” Celeste sighed.
“No, you don’t,” I muttered.
“Me, too.” Hadley grabbed my arm with her other hand as we walked towards the bleachers. “Are you sure you’ve never spoken to him?”
I nodded. “I haven’t talked to him any more than either of you.”
“That is not what his eyes say.”
“Eyes don’t talk, Hads.”
We all stopped and watched him for a moment as he and his mates goofed around doing whatever it was they did to entertain themselves. That was until some girl I only knew by sight approached him. You could feel the ice from the other side of the oval as he completely shut her down. Behind him, Steve and Jake doubled up in laughter before Rio gave Roman their weird handshake and the girl hurried away obviously upset.
“Roman Lombardi’s eyes talk, Pipe. Oh, how they talk.”
Did it not matter that we’d literally just watched him shit all over a girl he’d no doubt hooked up with over the weekend? That we’d just witnessed the infamous Roman Brush-Off, complete with insults from his friends? That she was the third girl in as many weeks that we’d seen, let alone the however many we didn’t?
“It’s about the only part of him that does,” I grumbled.
“That’s not true. We just heard him speaking.”
“We heard him antagonising the vice principal, not quite the same thing.”
“Oh, what did he do now?” Celeste asked excitedly.
Hadley recounted the incident in the hallway while Celeste gasped animatedly in all the right places.
I, meanwhile, snuck a look at Roman across the oval as we all sat down. It was true, we had just heard him talking. But, just about the only time anyone heard the sarcastic, gravelly notes of Roman’s voice was when he was riling up the establishment. Otherwise, he just walked around with a look on his face like someone had pissed in his lemonade.
Although, I suspected it had been a while since Roman had drunk lemonade. At least judging by the last time he’d been arrested for public drunkenness.
h
My headphones were blaring in my ears so I didn’t notice white twin cab ute until it was careening past me. I paused, my heart pounding in my chest. Then, before I kept on, I moved closer to the shoulder of the road.
I breathed deeply, trying to calm my heart. Except, the fright had sent it into a pattern it knew too well and I felt the usual shortness of breath and the antsy feeling in my fingers set in.
I shook out my hands as I walked, focussing on the song in my ears and the steps of my feet. I didn’t really hear the lyrics. I didn’t really hear the tune. I just focussed on counting the beat.
By the time I turned into the driveway, my heartbeat was back to normal and I remembered how to smile. That was until I noticed a mighty similar big white twin cab in the driveway next to ours, and Roman Lombardi was reaching into the tray and pulling out a cardboard box.
I frowned and blinked in confusion.
I knew the house had sold. Mum had told me the house had sold and there was a ‘SOLD’ sticker plastered across a ‘For Sale’ sign no one but the Barlows saw unless they’d come specifically looking.
Roman looked up as though he could sense me standing there and my heart thudded again along with a sick, sinking feeling in my stomach. My skin felt itchy the way it often did when he looked at me. I had that urge to get away from him, but my feet refused to move.
“Love, can you find the kitchen things?” a voice called from inside the house.
“I’ve got it,” he called back, only half-looking to the house as though he couldn’t take his eyes from me either.
The split second our gazes weren’t locked was all it took to break whatever spell I’d fallen under. I pulled my phone out of my pocket as I tore my eyes from him and hurried inside.
Hadley picked up on the third ring. “What?”
“SOS!” I hissed as I closed the front door, pulling myself up on tip toes to sneak a look through the window.
“What?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
“NO!” I snapped, ducking down as though anyone could see me.
I heard Hadley laugh. “Okay, so it’s not that bad. What is it? Did Mason ask you out on the way home and you need date outfit advice?”
I rolled my eyes. “No,” I huffed. “The new neighbours have moved in.”
“Oh! Tell me he’s like twenty-five, rides a Harley and set you on fire with one look!” she squealed.
“Stop reading those books, Hadley,” I ordered. “They are giving you a completely unrealistic view of the world.”
“Okay. So he’s thirteen, gawky braces, and he stuck his hands down his pants when he saw you?”
“Ew. I’m putting you on a timeout. Until you’re eighty.”
Hadley giggled. “You still haven’t got to this oh-so-threatening SOS. Who moved in?”
“Roman Lombardi,” I whispered and there was silence on the other side of the phone.
Just as I was about to ask her if she was still there, she screamed. Loud and excitable and right in my ear. I dropped my phone and fumbled to pick it back up again as I yelled her name.
“Honey, that you?” Mum called from the kitchen and I stood up, surprised.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Oh, good. Hey, listen,” she appeared at the door and I could tell she’d been cooking by the smudge on her cheek and the mess on her apron, “I invited Carmen over for dinner tonight.”
I swallowed and nodded. “Carmen?”
“Lombardi, hon. You know. She’s just bought the place next door and I invited her and the kids over.”
Kids? Had Paris come home?
“Honey?” Mum sighed, humorously exasperated.
I jumped as my phone went off and I realised Hadley had hung up on me in frustration and was calling me back. I held a hand up to Mum and nodded.
“Sure, dinner. Good. Uh, Hads…” I said absently as I pointed to my phone
then ran up the stairs.
“Leave me hanging, why don’t you?” Hadley yelled in my ear as I rushed over to my window and stared out it.
“Sorry. Hads, he’s unpacking cars. And, Mum just–”
“I heard. Oh my God, babes. Opportunity knocks!”
“Hadley,” I warned.
“Piper?” Her voice was sugary sweet.
“Shut up,” I snapped.
“But, he’s just there, waiting for you to–”
“Hadley. Shut. Up,” I repeated.
“Babes–”
“I’m going away now and I’m not speaking to you until tomorrow,” I informed her.
“No! Pipe!”
“Tomorrow! Bye,” I yelled after I’d pulled the phone from my ear, my eyes glued to the house next door, and I hung up on her.
I got changed and spent a couple of hours sitting in my window seat pretending I was reading my English book when I was actually watching the movement next door.
Somehow I must have actually got sucked into my book because the next thing I knew, I was jumping in surprise when the doorbell rang.
“Honey!” Dad called and I smoothed my shirt as I stood up, not sure why I should feel so nervous that Roman was standing at my door.
“Coming!”
I mean, Roman and I had been at school together for something like ten years. Sure, we hadn’t talked to each other outside the vague requirements of a couple of shared classes over the years. And, sure the guy was trouble. But, honestly that was no reason to be nervous.
I took a deep breath and went downstairs to see Mum talking to a woman I recognised well as someone Mum socialised with from her book club.
And I’d stressed for no reason, because…
“No Roman?” Mum asked her.
Carmen shook her head. “Uh, no.”
Carmen’s expression suggested she was telling Mum a whole lot more and Mum’s expression suggested she understood that whole lot more. I looked between them as Mum gave Carmen a smile before turning to me.
“Carmen, you remember Piper?” she asked, motioning me over and I wandered towards them.
Accidentally Perfect Page 1
