Thriving

Thea's Prosecution

Right after Thea was released from the hospital, and before she could leave the building, she was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.

Between then and her upcoming hearing, Amber had done a lot of research on vertigo and drugs in general. She hated going into situations blind and wanted to know everything she could about drug convictions and how the ones Thea took may affect her chances of avoiding jail time. But today was Thea's preliminary hearing, which meant that all research needed to be put on hold.

So instead of hacking into the SCPD database looking for their files and arrest reports relating to vertigo, Amber spent the morning getting ready.

After she got dressed, Amber tried and failed several times to braid her own hair. Once she hit seven failed attempts, Amber left her room looking for help. She had barely stepped outside her room when Moira stopped her.

"What on earth happened to your hair?" She questioned with surprise.

"I tried braiding it by myself," Amber explained. "It was a bad decision."

Moira chuckled. "Would you like some help?"

"Please."

"Come on." Moira took the brush Amber had clutched in her hand and ushered her back into her room. They sat on the couch where Moira proceeded to brush out the knots Amber had made and entwine the strands in a simple yet beautiful braid.

"There." Moira tossed the braid over her granddaughter's shoulder so she could see it.

Amber's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wow. It looks great."

"Don't sound too surprised."

"I'm surprised that you did it so fast." Amber clarified. "My mom sucked at doing hair and Jess takes forever to get it right."

"Ah. Well, you can always come to me when you need your hair done quickly." Moira said. "But only if it's something simple. Anything too complicated and you'll need to get Thea to help you."

"Got it." Amber chuckled, looking back at Moira. "Thanks, Grandma."

Moira smiled. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, let's go, or else we'll be late."

* * *

Jessica waited impatiently on the curb outside of the courthouse. Every couple of minutes, she checked her phone or watch for the time. And every time she became more annoyed with Oliver.

Earlier that morning, Oliver had asked Jessica to meet him and the others in front of the courthouse before Thea's hearing. He knew that the front steps would be a media circus and that there was no way he could comfort his sister through that mess and try to keep the photographers out of Amber's face at the same time.

So Jessica was back up. Not that she really cared, though. She would much rather march through the paparazzi insanity and protect her stepdaughter than watch it go down on the news. What she wasn't a fan of was the tardiness.

Finally, the small black car pulled up. Moira stepped out first, politely greeting Jessica.

"You're late," Jessica growled at Oliver once he had stepped foot on the sidewalk.

"I know." He sighed, clearly apologetic but also frustrated.

Behind Oliver, Amber crawled out of the car. She grinned when she saw her stepmom standing there. "Jess!"

"Hey, kid." Jessica hugged her tightly.

So far, the horde of paparazzi and reporters outside the courthouse hadn't given the Queens much attention.  Sure, some of them took pictures, but they kept their distance. Thea was the one they were most interested in. And the second she was out of the car, they swarmed the family.