Episode 7034

Extended Summary

Ryder is walking near the Diner, chatting on the phone to Raffy. Bella runs past, bumping into him in the process. Up in the flat, Colby is telling Chelsea they can wait before getting Bella assessed but Chelsea thinks she’ll never agree to it. She says they need to use tough love. Colby is reluctant, since he likes seeing Bella happy, but accepts her point and they agree to work together. Colby tries calling Bella back in but realises she isn’t there. They try her phone.

Willow is finishing up a class on the beach. Dean comes over to her; she is pleased that she thinks she’s nailed the classes and that she’s getting good marks. They then get a text from Colby and meet up with him on the headland. He tells them about Bella being missing. Willow isn’t sure she’s been gone long enough to count as missing but Colby wants her found anyway and they agree to keep an eye out.

Alf and Ryder are outside the caravan park house, with Ryder leaving a voicemail for Raffy. Alf notes Ryder hasn’t learned about pestering girls but Ryder thinks he and Raffy are the perfect match. Alf tells Ryder he needs him to take packages to the bait shop and Diner and then clean some caravans. Ryder then gets a video call from Raffy on his laptop and compliments her on her looks: Marilyn has done her hair and make-up for the ball. Raffy tells Ryder to avoid Coco when she gets back the next day so they can tell her about their relationship together. Ryder thinks she might be happy but Raffy thinks it’s a code not to date a friend’s ex. Marilyn calls Raffy and he and Ryder debate who should hang up first, which Alf ends by closing the laptop and reminding Ryder of his jobs. At that moment, Ben is bringing Coco home to Maggie, who gives her a hug of greeting. Coco wants to call Raffy and find Ryder but Ben and Maggie convince her to stay with them for a bit first so she starts showing them her photos of the camp.

Ryder is walking through a park area, leaving a voicemail for Raffy saying it wasn’t him that hung up. He finds Bella sitting by a tree, ignoring a phone alert, and wonders if he should let Colby knows she’s there. Bella points out she has a phone if she wanted that. Ryder tries to give her his jacket; she refuses it but he leaves it behind and she drapes it over her. At the Diner, Colby, Chelsea, Willow and Dean have met up to compare notes on their search for Bella. Chelsea apologises for scaring her off but Colby says it’s not her fault. Ryder has been at the counter throughout and talks to them but doesn’t tell them where Bella is.

Ryder goes back to the park and finds Bella hiding behind a table. He tells her Colby and the others are worried about her but Bella insists she can’t go home yet and has to wait for things to calm down. After telling her that everyone seemed calm, which she doesn’t seem entirely convinced by, Ryder tells her to come with him. Back at the farm house, Coco tells Ben and Maggie about skinny dipping with the other girls for a dare and swimming with baby reef sharks. She decides to go and find Ryder after first leaving a message for Raffy.

Ryder takes Bella to the patio area of the caravan park house and tells her to wait there. He goes inside and runs into Alf, who assumes he’s taking a caravan key to do the cleaning. Alf heads off to the surf club, since John didn’t arrange anyone to do a shift at the juice bar. Ryder gets a call from Raffy who tells him Coco’s on the way and he should get out. However, Coco turns up before he can. Ryder hastily ushers her out, saying he has to do work for Alf and will see her tomorrow with Raffy. Bella manages to break a plant pot and Ryder blames it on a feral cat, before chiding Bella for not staying quiet. Meanwhile, Colby and Chelsea arrive back at the flat. Colby suddenly realises that Bella is following his advice to make herself scarce and wait for things to calm down whenever Michelle and Ross were arguing. Chelsea protests that they barely argued but Colby says she didn’t know that and that last time Michelle and Ross argued Michelle ended up dead. He says they have to find her.

Ryder shows Bella to a caravan and gives her blankets but tries to get her to call Colby. Dean sees Ryder chatting to someone but Bella is out of view. After the door has closed, Dean asks Ryder who he was talking to and Ryder claims it was his girlfriend Star. Dean opens the door to reveal Bella. A short time later, the three of them are walking through the caravan park. Bella continues to refer to Ryder as her boyfriend which Ryder hastily denies. Colby and Willow appear and Dean says he found Bella wandering through the park. Bella says she was visiting Ryder, her boyfriend, and Ryder again is quick to deny it. Colby tells Bella they’ll talk at home and promises her there’s no problem there. After they’ve gone, Ryder thanks Dean for not dropping him in it. Dean warns him not to do it again.

Back at the flat, Colby and Chelsea assure Bella that the argument over the assessment didn’t go on for long and she’s safe with them. They also tell her that they’re going to get her education level assessed. Bella isn’t keen on the idea, since she still doesn’t want to go back to school and also they’re going to be moving, but they tell her the results can be passed on and she needs to get friends and a good job. Colby jovially points out that that was a disagreement. Back at the caravan park, Dean and Willow chat about looking out for Bella with Dean describing them as her honorary cousins. Willow notes she doesn’t have much to teach Bella but Dean says she can teach her to box. Willow says the stars look beautiful. The way Dean looks at her suggests he thinks something else is too.

Next morning, Maggie is on the phone to Colby while having breakfast with Ben and Coco, arranging to meet Bella for the assessment. She reminds Coco not to use the phone at the table but Coco says Ryder and Raffy aren’t answering her and thinks something weird is going on. Maggie heads to the flat where she is met by Colby, Chelsea and Bella. She assures them it’s not a test you pass or fail, it’s just about finding out what level you’re at. Colby and Chelsea leave her and Bella alone with Maggie saying they’ll be about an hour.

At the surf club, Alf and Ryder have met up with John, Marilyn and Raffy with John and Marilyn gushing about how Jett looked at the graduation. Ryder and Raffy go upstairs where they chat about telling Coco. Downstairs, Coco arrives. Alf tells her Raffy and Ryder are upstairs, before anticipating trouble. Ryder asks Raffy for one last kiss while it’s just the two of them, which inevitably is the point where Coco comes in and exclaims “No way.”