Straight Shot ➳ Oliver Queen

19. Turpitude

C H A P T E R    N I N E T E E N

TURPITUDE

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My mouth fell agape when I pulled into the elaborate driveway of the Queens' ornate mansion to see two cop cars parked in the driveway. Moira hadn't told me what happened when she called me this morning. All she had said was Thea was in trouble and that she wanted me to come over. I entered the mansion, closing the tall door behind me and walked down the hall until I reached the living room, where Thea sat on the living room couch while Moira and Walter talked to several police officers.

"Thea, what happened? Are you okay?" I asked immediately.

"I'm fine!" She responded as if she was tired of the question. She sounded like she was slightly drunk, probably from last night. "Everyone's making way too big a deal of this!"

"We are most certainly not making too big a deal!" Moira argued, her tone sharp. "Thea, you committed a felony! We are paying off the store owners to keep your record clean!"

"It was just a little window shopping!" She defended before shoving herself off the couch and shoving passed Moira and stomping off to her room.

"Thea and some of her friends broke into a store to try on some way overpriced dresses," Diggle informed me after Thea left and I had joined him by the doorway. "Lit up the Breathalyzer like a Christmas tree."

I shook my head. "She's becoming so much like Oliver it scares me."

"Oliver has a record for breaking into stores to try on dresses?" Dig joked. I couldn't help but chuckle. I knew that was the response he was trying to get.

"I mean she seems to have an aptitude for getting herself in trouble. Just like Oliver."

"That does sound like him." Diggle agreed.

"I thought he had grown up by now, but I guess I was wrong."

"One thing I've learned, Miss Mitchell, some people never grow up."

"When are you gonna start calling me Karter?" I tested and he chuckled.

"Sorry. Force of habit." He apologized and I smiled in acceptance.

"How long have you been doing this, anyway?" I wondered.

"Long enough. Just since I got out of the military."

"My Mom was military," I told him, remembering the pictures of my mother in her olive green or navy blue uniforms.

"Really? What branch?" Dig asked, intrigued by the topic of conversation as he unclasped his hands from behind his back and faced me, leaning into the conversation.

"Air Force. It's actually how she died." I said solemnly.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Well, she died doing what she loved. Fighting for her country and making her family proud."

"She sounds like a wonderful woman."

My lips stretched into a fond, admiring smile. "She was. I didn't get to know her that long, but she really loved her family." I confirmed. "I guess that's why I care so much about Thea. I'm the person I am today because I had someone who set me straight but loved me unconditionally. I'm terrified of what could happen to Thea if no one does the same for her."

"She has Moira."

"Moira will give her a slap on the wrist and the week off of school. I have no room to tell her how to parent, but that's like telling a serial killer "just try to be nicer." I watched Oliver throw a lot of his life away and I'm afraid Thea's just following along in his shadow."