I'll try to be brief because it's time for me to sleep:
- Nia was Summer's friend at the same school. For Nika not to sit with her or notice her at all when he's hanging around Summer at the point that Summer talks about him with Nia, well it's odd. You can't get away from kids in school. BUt on the otherhand, I don't know girlfriends aunts unless I'm invited to a family dinner at christmas or something. BUt after the incident, everyone who didn't know Nika at the school, all their parents etc would know Nika, but he wouldn't know all of them.
-I'm not suggesting Stephanie is Elsa's mom, that doesn't look likely at all. An aunt can be through marriage. Plenty of flexibility and space. Now that Marla looks like her family is important enough storywise to introduce her (maybe, maybe not) sister, I wonder who she's connected to, and why we're being introduced to her. That's my only angle really. Another Marla does what exactly for the story? THere must be a reason.
-It was ch5 beta the gun was taken away, not the steam release. After that Ocean did the reworks on Ch2-3, some of thes scenes are where Miss Marla reacts to Nika. So it's likely the therapy and reactions are left on purpose because Ocean plans on Marla's story being tied to the therapy. So even if it's a holdover, I'm sure Ocean has a backstory for Marla planned.
- In any case, as I say, Marla's therapy is partially for her self image and pre-dates the accident with Vic. So the main subject of her therapy is not Vic, it's something likely earlier than that. She'll probably add Vic onto the pile of things she has therapy for. If Claire's bingo card is any indication, she's also laughed at behind her back by her peers.
- Do we know that Elsa goes to college? We know she's a model, but we don't know whether she's studying, I don't recall there being any indication of that. That Nika and Nami hang out with Elsa because of Summer, but not with Nia is a mystery.