Nobody was there. Save for the secretary, typing away on her keyboard, not looking up from the screen. Anna had already steeled herself for unavoidably becoming exposed to another person, but this was perfect. She'd never find out, as long as she didn't look up. And the slamming door hadn't even made her flinch.
"Um, excuse me... Mr. Jones told me there's a telephone here I could use to dial home?" Anna tried to control her voice as best she could, to not give any reason for alarm.
"Yes, yes, on the table over there, but make it quick, I have a lot of work to do before the bell rings and I'm getting swarmed again..."
"Th-thank you!" Her feet silent on the carpet in here, she strode over to the phone, pressed the receiver to her ear, and dialed in her home number - her mother would be at home right now, doing housework, and distracting herself with her smartphone from time to time...
Beep. Beep. Every second of waiting made Anna more anxious.
"Hello?" Finally. Her mother's voice!
"Mom, it's me, Anna. Listen to me carefully, you received an email just recently..."
"An email? Let me quickly check on my phone."
"NO! The point is that you absolutely mustn't look at that email! It's meant for me, and very private, and..."
"Really? Then why is it on our email account, and not on yours? Let's see... ah, there. Just about fifteen minutes ago. ...sexual education?"
"No, mom, don't, don't read it!!", Anna shouted desperately, only to get shushed by the secretary.
"Contract for a sex ed model? Huh. And there are video-holy moley, that's...detailled. Whoever that is, she seems to have a lot of fun. God knows I'd be dripping if people poked me like that. There's another one. ...wait. Anna, is that you?!"
"D-don't look, mom...", she whimpered, uselessly. There was a lengthy silence, until her mother spoke again, her words thoughtful and measured this time.
"Anna, I just want to say..."
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