We're going to need more than five minutes

Mommy, what shall I do?

„Don't you dare lay a hand on my niece!", something inside Lana snapped from one second to the next and she punched the guy she had been intending to sleep with until just a moment ago in the face, instantly feeling the pain shooting through her fingers.

„Aaaaah", she sucked in the air and shook her hand, how many years had it been since she had last hit someone for real? She couldn't finish that thought though before she was pushed back so hard that she stumbled and fell flat on her back, hitting the back of her head on the floor.

As Soma ran towards her, she curled up into a fetal position holding her head, instinctively protecting herself from further blows. By now though, bystanders have pulled the man away from them. Lana shook her head carefully and tried to sit up having quite some trouble seeing straight due to the dim lighting, the alcohol in her blood as well as just having hit her head.

„Soma... are... are you okay?", she reached out for her niece.

The young woman was pressing her hand on the side of her head but nodded. „It's alright... how about you? Are you hurt?"

„I think I'm okay", she was not, she felt horrible. Both physically, but mostly out of shame. What had she done? What had she gotten her sweet little niece into?

„I'm so sorry, Soma", she whispered when they were back outside in front of the club waiting, her face buried in her hands – her head was spinning, she felt dizzy and sick.

„It's alright... I'm kind of glad, actually. If this means that in the end you didn't go home with that loser, I'm happy to have gotten punched in the face for it."

In the end they had made it clear that they didn't want to call the police nor the ambulance. Soma really, really didn't want to get caught with a fake ID. And also Lana could never really be sure whether someone might actually recognize her and make things just that much more awkward.

Instead though, they had to call someone much, much worse.

„Soma?!", Bianca parked her car right in the middle of the road and jumped out, running towards them. She pulled her daughter into her arms and held her tight.

Then she pulled back and looked at her, her eye was already pretty black, „Oh my God, what happened??"

„It's okay, mom, it's just a bruise. We got into a fight with this guy..."

„And where the hell is that guy? We need to report him to the police!"

She shook her head. „Nevermind, it's over. He's gone. Lana punched him too."

Bianca looked over at her cousin. „You look horrible! Are you okay?"

„I'm just...", she sighed and shrugged, „I have no idea how I am, to be honest. It's all my fault, Bianca..."

„Why yes, that's kind of what I assumed! But thanks for owning up to it."

Soma jumped in. „That's not true, mom! The guy hit me first. I provoked him. Lana defended me."

„Sweetheart", Lana put a hand on her arm, „It's okay. Thanks, but... please let me be accountable for my irresponsible behavior, okay?"

When they sat in the car on their way home, they got to listen to the same harangue again and again and again, which didn't help with Lana's headache nor her upset stomach, on quite the contrary. As her cousin was scolding her for dragging Soma to such a place and putting her in harm's way, she was massaging her temples and focused on her breathing, but in the end she couldn't help it anymore.

„Bianca..."

She didn't hear her, or decided not to listen.

„Bianca, pull over the car... please! Pull over, I'm gonna be sick."