Episode 7303

Extended Summary

Mackenzie finds Willow on the beach and notes she heard about Alex and hasn’t seen Willow since. Willow says she’s been wallowing and that she hasn’t heard from Alex or tried to contact her, not seeing the point. Mackenzie notes that Colby’s out of hospital today, quickly insisting that they’re just friends. At the Diner flat, Dean is on the phone to Colby, saying he’ll be on his way to collect him as soon as he gets Bella out of bed. He calls out to her, then checks her room and the rest of the flat without success. He doesn’t say anything to Colby but leaves a message for Bella asking where she is.

Dean heads down to the Diner and tells Irene and Willow about Bella and his car being missing, admitting he spent the night with Ziggy. He can’t think where she could be. Irene says the only person she usually socialises with is Ryder. Meanwhile, Bella wakes up and is horrified to find a bunch of missed calls and messages from Dean on her phone. She wakes Nikau, who is on the next couch, by throwing cushions at him, telling him they have to go. As they’re leaving, Tane appears and notes Nikau said he wasn’t going back. Nikau says he has to face up to things. Tane says to call if he needs anything; he tries to give Nikau some money but he gives it back.

At the Diner, Irene and Roo chat about the party and Bella being missing. Roo notes Marilyn isn’t there and Irene says she rang in sick. Gemma appears and Roo asks her about Marilyn. Gemma says she was fine earlier but did have a fight with John. Gemma apologises to Irene for being late, saying Nikau didn’t come home. Irene tells her that Bella didn’t come home either. Gemma decides to try and call Nikau again. At Salt, Mackenzie and Ryder are chatting about him changing a shift. Dean arrives and asks Mackenzie to pick Colby up from the hospital for him, explaining about Bella being missing but saying not to tell him. Dean then quizzes Ryder who admits that he and Bella had a fight and that she might be with Nikau.

Ryder and Dean exit the surf club and meet up with Willow, with Ryder trying to assure the others that Nikau’s all right. Dean sees his car and flags it down. Nikau quietly tells Bella not to tell anyone where they were. Dean grabs hold of Nikau but Willow intervenes, as does Bella who says it was her idea to take the car. Soon after, Willow and Dean are back at the flat with Bella. Dean in particular is furious about her taking the car and staying out with a boy she barely knows. Colby and Mackenzie arrive in the middle of it. Bella says Nikau’s her friend and storms out onto the balcony, saying they’re obviously not going to listen to her side.

Roo has met up with Marilyn near the beach and asks her about John. She is shocked that Marilyn seems to think the marriage is over. Marilyn says Roo told her to talk to John but Roo says she meant for her to open up to him. Marilyn says John is stubborn and set in his ways. Roo points out he’s always been like that. Although she feels a bit bad about how she handled it, Marilyn says if they were meant to be together it wouldn’t be so hard. Meanwhile, Colby finds Bella outside the flat. He says she shouldn’t have take Dean’s car. Bella says she didn’t mean to stay out but they fell asleep. Colby says he won’t stop her spending time with her friends but she needs to let them know where she is. He then asks if Nikau is just a friend and Bella looks coy. Colby heads back inside alone and is horrified as he tells Mackenzie, Willow and Dean that Bella likes boys. Mackenzie suggests it’s normal teenage girl behaviour and Willow and Dean reminisce about all the girls Colby was with at that age. Colby gets a phone call from Patricia and says he knows Bella missed a session but thinks she’s been going since. He is shocked to learn that’s not the case.

Irene sees Ryder and Nikau in the Diner and asks about Bella. Nikau says she was with him but she’s home safe and sound. Ryder winds him up about how Colby and Dean are going to react. Gemma takes Nikau aside and has a go at him for stealing a car. Nikau doesn’t respond well to the talk and Gemma says if he wants to be treated like an adult he should behave like one: They’re relying on Marilyn’s charity and he’s treating her place like a motel. Soon after, Ryder and Nikau are walking on the beach. Ryder asks how Nikau really feels about Bella. Nikau doesn’t answer but the look on his face when he sees Bella nearby speaks volumes. He tells her she can choose where they go next time and she seems pleased there’ll be a next time. Nikau leaves and Bella acknowledges Ryder meant well but says it’s up to her to tell people, also admitting she does like Nikau. She gets a text from Colby telling her to come home because they need to talk.

Outside the Diner, Gemma chats to Irene about Nikau. She gets a text from him saying he’s working at the bait shop later and Irene suggests the tough love worked. Roo approaches and Gemma leaves her and Irene alone. Roo notes that Marilyn’s blaming her relationship for her mood but doesn’t seem herself. Irene says she hasn’t been since Mason. Roo speculates that Marilyn’s convinced herself it’s her marriage that’s the problem to avoid dealing with things. Back at her house, Marilyn looks at her and John’s wedding photo and cries.

Bella arrives home and Colby tells her he knows she hasn’t been to counselling, reminding her she promised to do so in return for being allowed to go to TAFE. Bella says she shouldn’t have done because she can’t go to counselling, reiterating that they only want to talk about Ross. Colby says that he’s done: She won’t accept his help so he won’t offer any. On the balcony at Salt, Mackenzie is gushing to Willow about Colby. She gets a text from him thanking her for picking him up and says it’s progress, since he usually ignores her when there’s a problem with Bella. Colby smiles when he gets a text back from Mackenzie saying “You’re welcome.” He picks up his post and opens a large letter first. It’s a letter of notice for divorce.