Sadly this really does come down to knowing her ranges, her entire kit relies on her opponent not respecting her range. I suggest you buy her and learn her range by actually playing her as it's a much better (and less painful) way to learn. Once you understand Annie you'll realize she's really only OP against those who don't understand her (which is a lot of players unfortunately)
Another part of expecting her ult is knowing her burst potential. She will most likely go for that flash + ult + combo for the kill if you allow her, so don't let her get free trades by letting her stun you in lane. Starting Abyssal Scepter
is almost always the best first item against her, as it helps negate her burst while not giving up much AP
Be wary of her little stun trick too, if you don't know about it I'll explain it:
A very easy way to trick enemies into getting stunned is waiting for 1 spell before her stun is up, and when they get close enough she just presses E (her shield instant cast) and Q or W for a stun that is just as fast as if her stun was up and she just press Q or W. A lot of people get caught off guard by this trick and it's actually quite fun to do to people
...I play Annie so yes I'm a terrible person