Episode 6874

Extended Summary

Maggie is worriedly feeling her hair but puts on a smile when Ben arrives home with Coco. They note they’ve missed each other but Coco says she’s glad she went and learned a lot. She gets a phone call which Ben and Maggie assume is from Ryder. Coco pretends it is but in fact it’s from someone called Jeremy. She doesn’t answer it. At Salt, Robbo is sitting alone when Tori comes in. She notes she hasn’t seen him much lately and he says he’s keeping to himself. He says he’s sticking around in case Ash comes back and wants more answers. Tori quickly excuses herself.

John is with Ty in the patio area of the Diner, commenting on the view. Ty says John doesn’t have to talk to him but John says they’re happy to have him with them and he’s got a home with them. Ty says he’s used to looking after himself and John notes Raffy was the same when she first came to live with them, suggesting they’ve got more in common than they think. Back at the house, Marilyn is chiding Raffy for her outburst, saying they need to try and understand Ty and he’s here to stay. Raffy thinks he’s been rude and doesn’t want to be there. Marilyn points out he’s in emergency foster care so obviously doesn’t want to be there. She asks Raffy to look out for him at school. Raffy decides to go to bed.

John arrives home with Ty and Marilyn says she’s heated up dinner for him but Ty says he isn’t hungry and heads off to bed. Marilyn points out John was meant to be talking to him and John says he tried but it’s like Ty doesn’t want to bother because he doesn’t think he’ll be there long. He agrees when Marilyn says she’s worried about him. Next morning, Coco is trying to teach Maggie some meditative breathing but Maggie is eager to get to work and says they’ll try again later. Coco asks if she’s really up to going in and Maggie notes Ben will be there to keep an eye on her. Coco reflects on having both parents at school.

At the school, Baz is holding a conference with Ben and some of the other workers. Maggie turns up and Ben goes over to greet her. She notes Coco went in the side door. Baz joins them and comments on Ben putting the client first. Roo turns up and greets Maggie, who asks her to handle Ty Anderson’s orientation and sort him out a uniform. Meanwhile, Raffy and Ty are walking in; Raffy attempts to make conversation by asking about his music or what sport he’s into but is met with silence or perfunctory answers. She adds that she hasn’t told John and Marilyn his plans. Raffy hails Ryder and tells Ty it’s up to him whether he joins them or not. She asks Ryder about Coco being back and points out Ty, who is walking several paces behind them. She shoots a disappointed look back at him.

Raffy is reunited with Coco at school and asks about camp. Coco says she met Jeremy, a boy whose dad has the same sort of cancer as her mum. Ryder comes over and assumes Coco had bad reception since she didn’t call him. Coco goes along with it and says there were about twenty people there, but they are interrupted by Ty’s arrival. Ryder wonders if they should talk to him but Roo gets in first, taking him for orientation. Maggie is in her office and Ben checks on her, wondering if she’s got a headache. She says it’s just an itchy scalp. Baz interrupts, saying he expects Ben to work for his pay and he barely pulls his weight as it is. Maggie protests Ben’s a good worker. Baz says he’s Ben’s boss and Maggie retorts that she’s Baz’s. Ben hastily steps in, saying they should get back to work.

Tori goes to the Diner for a takeaway drink. Irene asks about the garage and wonders if she’s spoken to Ash. Tori thinks they’re over. Robbo, who has been sat nearby, stops her as she leaves, suggesting they talk, but Tori thinks they’re done with that. Robbo says he thought they’d become friends. Tori agrees but indicates she needs space. Later, Robbo has been for a swim on the beach when John pulls up in a buggy and has a go at him for not swimming between the flags when there’s a rip. John tries to subtly question Robbo but eventually accepts he wants to keep his secrets. Robbo asks if he needs help at the surf club and John hastily says that they’re covered but he’ll let him know.

Roo tells her Year 11 class that they’re going to start one of their HSC novels. Ryder protests that the HSC is next year and Roo explains it’s a two year course that starts now. She tells them to work in pairs and Coco and Raffy quickly pair up before Ryder can ask Coco. He instead asks Ty (who is still in his own clothes rather than uniform) to partner him and they formally introduce themselves. Ty jokes about Coco rejecting Ryder, before saying he’s had worse. Meanwhile, Ben goes to see Maggie in her office while on his break. He says that he needs the wage from Baz and can fight his own battles.

Coco and Raffy arrive at the Diner with Coco telling a story about abseiling and Jeremy challenging her to a race. Raffy says all her stories involve Jeremy, repeating one about them hiding in a stable. Ryder and Ty turn up and Ty is filled in on who Coco’s parents are. Coco and Ryder go to the counter and Ty asks Raffy what her problem is. Raffy thinks he’s taking advantage of John and Marilyn while Ty thinks she’s upset she’s not getting all the attention. Raffy yells at him to just go, prompting a protest from Irene and a newly-arrived John and Marilyn to step in. John leads the pair home and tells them to go to their rooms, but they’re pretty much there already. Marilyn follows them in. John suggests it’s just standard teenage behaviour.

Baz finds Ben waiting for Maggie outside her office so they can car pool home. He says Ben’s struck lucky and notes principals weren’t like that in his day. Ben gets annoyed and tells Baz to never make comments like that about Maggie again. Maggie looks on approvingly. At the Diner, Ryder and Coco discuss Raffy and Ty’s spat. Ryder asks about the camp and Coco says Jez said it should be compulsory for all kids whose parents have cancer. Ryder asks who that is and Coco claims Jeremy is a counsellor.

Back at home, Maggie compliments Ben on standing up to Baz even though Ben is worried about losing his job. Coco comes home and they tell her Ziggy’s out with Brody but said to say hi. Coco gets a text which her parents again assume is from Ryder when it’s from Jeremy. (“School sucked. Wish we were back at camp.”) Coco offers to give Maggie a head massage that “this guy at camp” taught her but pulls a clump of her hair out. Meanwhile, Robbo is alone in his flat, looking extremely restless. He ends up phoning Lance and saying he’s calling in one of the favours he owes him.