The way the concert had fueled the crowd's extroversion was only to be expected. Even Ima and the girls seemed to have forgotten the kind of people they usually were. It was a concert of varied music, to be sure, even though they initially thought it would only feature Ned's band. Rock, Pop, and a couple of other genres filled the air.
The only truly relevant part of the situation lay in how Ima was unfolding. He was no longer the "strange boy" Vanesa had once described, though a few lingering subtleties remained—subtleties that, fortunately, went unnoticed amidst the fervor of the night.
As for how Ima handled Vanesa, the situation carried an air that was both childish and almost dramatic. Emma and Luna had split off in pursuit of their own futile interests for the evening, both searching for potential candidates among the sea of people. For his part, Ima had to struggle to remain calm despite his embarrassment, trying to figure out how to handle Vanesa in her current state. Drunk and extroverted is rarely an ideal combination when exposed to a public place. Luckily, Ima's senses remained sharp, allowing him to manage Vanesa and keep her out of trouble.
With that responsibility on his shoulders, none of her friends found it strange when Ima offered to take Vanesa home.
"Are we going the right way, Ima?" Vanesa asked, her words interrupted by a sudden bout of hiccups.
"Yes, don't worry. Once we get to the subway, promise me you won't fall asleep," Ima replied, feeling a hint of anxiety.
"Yes, yes... I won't."
Still, Ima couldn't stop his mind from racing through dozens of worst-case scenarios. What would he do if she actually fell asleep? He certainly wasn't athletic; dragging or carrying her all the way to her house would take far too long.
"Did you enjoy the event, Ima?" Vanesa asked, leaning against a lamppost to keep her balance. "Just let me breathe for a second. I feel sleepy... and dizzy."
Ima stood beside her, bathed in the yellow glow of the light.
"It was pretty good for me. I actually knew some of the songs they played, and the choreography those pop girls did was decent," he explained with sudden fervor. "It reminded me of some scenes from a video ga—"
Ima stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Vanesa sliding down the post, nearly collapsing. He caught her just before she hit the ground, jolting her awake. She had been drifting off.
"I'm sorry, Ima. I think it's going to be really hard not to fall asleep."
Ima pressed his lips together and looked around.
"It doesn't matter," he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Does your phone still have battery? If we make it to the subway, we could ask your parents to pick you up."
Vanesa agreed with a look of remorse. Knowing her parents were quite critical regarding alcohol, she knew this would likely lead to an argument later.
As Ima moved to start walking again, Vanesa stopped him by pulling his arm, eventually draping her own around his neck.
"Like this. It's better. I can't keep my balance well enough."
Ima suppressed his embarrassment for the sake of Vanesa's well-being. Dozens of thoughts flooded his mind, and his body felt flushed and itchy. Despite that, he didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around Vanesa's waist to steady her.
Neither of them suspected that, from within the shadows of their route, someone was following them, listening intently to every word.
II
Ima checked his phone one last time to make sure it wasn't too late and felt a wave of relief. He helped Vanesa lean against the station entrance while he called her father. Fortunately, when he finally answered and her mother joined the call, neither seemed angry. Ima explained the situation, and although they felt uneasy knowing their daughter was with a boy, they trusted him thanks to his calm tone of voice. Through this, Ima confirmed that it was also possible to read "stats" during phone calls, as the digital display didn't take long to appear over Vanesa's mobile.
When they finally headed down to sit on the subway benches to wait, a sudden silence and a cold shiver ran down Ima's spine. He wouldn't understand why it happened until hours later, when he woke up tied to a chair after being struck by someone at the station entrance.