Leaning against the hedge out front, she turned her phone back on. Wished she hadn’t. The flood of random messages and penises seemed to be getting heavier. Surely it must be time for them to move on to a new dumb ugly slut? Or should she admit defeat, disconnect her number? Or just leave her phone off permanently, let the creeps imagine what they wanted while their messages sank into the void?

She was about to turn the thing off again, see how long she could go without rechecking it, when the screen flashed up an incoming call: Uni Admin. She answered without thinking. A woman called Mona hoped she was well and needed to speak with her about her failure to comply with her obligations vis-avis the fellowship that covered half her rent. Her failure to attend two exams this week meant she was in breach of her Contract of Mutual Obligation. She also appeared to be in breach of the requirement she sleep in her assigned room at least six of every seven nights unless she has received written permission to do otherwise. A written notice warning of the consequences of these breaches had been placed in her pigeonhole.

Lena apologised. Said there’d been a family emergency. Was told that might be an acceptable reason for a student to fail to meet obligations, but the student must communicate the circumstances to the fellowship committee, to the university admissions office and to the residential hall management so that allowances can be made, ways forward agreed upon.

She would still need to do this: apply retroactively for a leave of absence she had already taken. She must also attend all her remaining exams and make urgent applications to re-sit the two she has missed. Failure to do so would result in the cancellation of her fellowship, and if that occurred, she would need to pay her accommodation bill in full or risk eviction. All of this was contained in the notice in her pigeonhole, Mona told her. Which, it had been noted, had gone unemptied for the past week.

As soon as she hung up the screen started flashing again. Annie was ringing her now?

‘You have never voice-called me once the whole time I’ve known you.’

‘I’m growing as a person. Trying new things, you know?’

‘Hmm.’

‘And you’ve stopped coming to class. And deleted your socials. And don’t answer my texts.’

‘Yeah. Sorry. It’s been a lot. Nothing personal. I just need …’

‘I get it, babe, I do. But I worry. You gotta let me know you’re still alive now and then, yeah?’

‘Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t think.’

‘Well, I forgive you, because I’m a really, really good person with an enormous heart, as you know. But listen, actually, I do have to tell you something. Two things. Good news and bad news.’

‘Okay.’

‘Where are you right now?’

‘Why?’