Episode 7981

Extended Summary

Justin, Theo and Kirby come downstairs at the surf club. Kirby is apologetic about losing track of Ava. Theo says she couldn’t have got a ride without her phone, which confuses Justin since he doesn’t know why she’d want one. Justin heads out to look for her at the beach and the Diner with Theo and Kirby saying they’ll search the park. After he’s gone, Theo and Kirby wonder if she’d go to the gig.

At the Diner, Roo finishes a phone call with Alf and tells Marilyn and Xander that Martha has convinced him to be a portrait model. Justin comes in and tells them about Ava being missing. Xander and Roo quickly offer to help search, taking the caravan park and the lighthouse. Justin shows Xander a picture of Ava on his phone.

In fact, Ava is back at the Morgan house. She calls out for Justin, then retrieves her phone before heading into Theo’s room. She looks over the decorations and his guitar (pocketing one of the pluckers) and sniffs his shirt. Meanwhile, Rose and Mali are curled up in bed. Rose admits she’s wanted to do that for a long time. They kiss before Rose gets out of bed, saying she’s going home. Mali says she can stay if she wants and suggests she’s overthinking it. They kiss and lie back down in bed.

Ava has put on Theo’s shirt and is lying in his bed. She takes a picture of herself with a seductive pout, then realises there are some photos of Theo with Kirby on the wall behind her and takes them down. She then hears Leah calling out, having just arrived home, and quickly takes off the shirt (which she had on over her dress). She knocks Theo’s guitar, attracting Leah’s attention. Leah wonders what she’s doing in Theo’s room. Ava initially tries to cover by saying she wasn’t expecting Leah back, then claims to have been getting her phone charger.

Back at the Diner, Justin, Xander, Roo, Theo and Kirby have all reconvened with Marilyn. Xander and Roo say they didn’t find Ava where they looked and Theo and Kirby admit they went looking for her at the gig and she wasn’t there. Xander wonders if they should call Rose, before saying he’ll be upstairs if they need him. Justin is considering doing so when Leah rings and fills him in.

Justin, Theo and Kirby arrive home to find Ava eating chocolate with Leah. Ava innocently claims she came home when she heard Justin was worried. Leah tries to calm things and Justin and Theo welcome her back. Ava says she couldn’t call because her battery was flat. Justin tells her she can’t just run off but Ava calls him melodramatic and heads towards her room. Kirby hands her her bag and Ava sharply says not to touch her stuff. Theo and Kirby say they’ll get some stuff and go to hers.

In his room, Kirby is annoyed at Ava, calling her a brat. Theo defends her slightly, saying she’s just being a typical teenager, but does admit it’s a shame their night was ruined, although he also says it’s not over. Kirby notices the photo on top of Theo’s shirt, which he can’t explain.

In their own room, Justin moans to Leah that Ava doesn’t listen to him and he wishes she was twelve again. Leah tries to talk to him about finding her in Theo’s room but he is dismissive of it. Leah suggests things might be better in the morning. Justin wryly suggests Ava might be twelve again.

Next morning, Mali and Rose wake up together. Rose checks that he doesn’t have any classes to get to. Mali admits that he actually does but not until later. They start kissing again but are interrupted by a banging at the door and a woman’s voice calling out for Mali. Mali quickly gets dressed and tells Rose to do the same. Mali stops the woman from going into the van until Rose emerges dressed. The newcomer explains she’s Mali’s big sister Elandra. Mali quickly introduces them to each other.

Back at the Morgan house, Ava is looking at her phone over breakfast despite Justin’s attempts to talk to her. He asks why she ran off. Ava says she only went to Salt and was home before him. Leah tries to cut in and Ava says it’s nothing to do with her. Leah says it is, because Ava’s living there. Justin convinces her to go to work.

Rose tries to be friendly towards Elandra, but Elandra is cold about the fact Mali has a girlfriend. Rose awkwardly says it was the first time. Elandra says she didn’t even know Mali had moved. Rose protests that Mali said he’d told his family. Mali says technically he did and Elandra says telling one of his brothers doesn’t count. Rose beats a retreat as Elandra demands answers.

At the Diner, Marilyn serves Rose. Xander comes in and teases Rose, who says she’s already had to deal with one noisy sibling today, explaining about her meeting with Elandra. Leah comes in and gets a warm greeting from Marilyn and Roo. She asks what’s been going on with Ava. Marilyn leaves Roo to explain, since she has to man the coffee cart.

Mali brings Elandra a drink and insists he thought hard about moving. Elandra says they were bound to notice he was gone and wonders if he was afraid that she and their mum would talk him out of it. She asks him to help her understand why he moved away from them. Later, Mali says he didn’t plan on moving but Dean asked him to look after the board shop and then asked him to stay on so he could spend more time with the baby. Elandra still wonders if the move had something to do with Rose. Mali says to come with him.

Justin takes Ava on a walk to the coffee cart where she order a caramel latte with two shots of syrup from Marilyn. Ava goes and sits. Theo and Kirby approach, discussing how long Ava was at home. Kirby goes and sits with Ava while Theo orders. She tries to talk to her about her crush on Theo but Ava claims Kirby doesn’t know him and suggests Theo having Kirby’s photo on his wall won’t last. Kirby asks how she knows about that. Ava is saved from answering by Justin and Theo’s return.

Later, Kirby is apparently alone at the Morgan house. She searches Ava’s bag and finds the scrapbook, staring at its contents.