SERIAL FICTION

Kylie Fails at Karaoke

Teach Me to Love — Chapter 2

Welcome back! In Chapter 1, Kylie and Richter meet on a flight to China. Because they both pretend to be different people, they don’t realize that she’s actually going to be an employee at his school.

Kylie opened the door to her new apartment in Xi’an. It was on the fifth floor, no elevator, and she felt sweat jump off her forehead in protest. With a grunt, she threw three suitcases — all her earthly belongings — onto an empty chair.

Her apartment was large, with blank white walls, pink furniture, and a brand-new roommate from New Jersey. The roommate was blonde, statuesque, and beautiful, making her look like she was pieced together, Frankenstein-style, from at least six different fashion magazines.

“Hello,” Kylie said. “Wow, you’re pretty.”

She wasn’t sure whether she said that last part out loud.

The roommate hugged her before Kylie realized she was hugging her, and she pulled away before Kylie had the chance to hug her back.

“Hi,” her roommate shouted. “You must be Kylie. And you’re a redhead! I’m Wanda. I call the bigger bedroom because I got here first… And I’m taller, I guess. Wait one second while I get our tea. Which I totally made!”