After Alice

Chapter 21: Cult

Liv, 1996

When Liv approached Jo's car, she could see her friend was still talking to someone on her phone. Jo glanced at her through the driver's side window and mouthed, "Just a minute." Finally, after what seemed like half an hour, she opened the door and handed Liv her cell phone.

"I just told Mike how to reach me. I'm borrowing my brother's pager. So, if Mike calls you on my cell, you need to page me the code 4-2-4." Jo spoke in a torrent of words, and Liv could barely follow what she was saying.

"What?" Liv said.

"If Mike calls, page my brother 4-2-4."

Liv rolled her eyes. She didn't like being involved in any of Jo's drug dealings. "Why can't he just page you directly?"

"Because my little brother might see the number, call my dealer and snitch on me."

Suddenly, the phone vibrated in her hand, and it made her jump. Jo quickly snatched it back from her and flipped it open.

"Hey Mike, are we good? I'm handing my phone off to Liv now."

Another animated conversation ensued between Jo and her drug dealer.

Liv wasn't looking forward to a vibrating lump in her backpack all day and having to page Jo cryptic messages. She'd have to do it between classes in the bathroom. She suddenly realized that was why Jo was always asking for the hall pass.

Then Liv remembered something. "Jo, we have to change your voicemail greeting. It's got to be from me. What if Dr. Gordon calls while I'm in class? I can't have him hear your voicemail."

"Oh shit, this is getting really complicated, Liv. I love my Hole greeting; it's the bomb."

Liv had heard it many times. It was Courtney Love screaming, "I am the girl you know can't look you in the eye/I am the girl you know so sick i cannot try..."

"Jo, we have to change that right now. How do you do it?" Liv started fiddling with the buttons.

"Oh God, let me do it." Jo took the phone back again and pressed a button.

"Hello, this is Liv O'Malley. I'm not here right now, because my head is up my ass, but when I get it out, I'll call you right back. Oh, by the way, this isn't my phone. I'm borrowing it from my best friend Jo, who's da bomb."

"Stop it!" Liv grabbed the phone out of Jo's hands and started hyperventilating, trying to figure out how to change the greeting.

Jo was laughing uproariously at her now.

"Liv, don't have a cow. I was just pretending. Here, press this button and follow the prompts to record your greeting."

Liv could have punched her friend, but she pulled it together and recorded a stiff and awkward message just as she heard the bells for homeroom ringing.

"Thank you, Jo, you're a LIFESAVER," Jo said sarcastically as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Whatever. You gave me a heart attack and then denied me CPR."

"Oh, get over yourself. It was just a joke. You owe me a date with Ricky for this one," Jo said.

"If you are prepared to pick up the bill, I'm sure we can arrange it," Liv replied.

"Abso-fucking-lutely. I am a totally liberated woman," said Jo.

Easy for you to be, when your dad is richer than God, thought Liv.

They hustled inside the school and went their separate ways. Every few hours the phone vibrated, and each time it was Mike. Liv stopped trying to alert Jo right away. How many calls did it take to plan a drug pickup?