Episode Seven - 10th April 2023

The episode begins with Billie running across the beach in a hurry to get somewhere. It's around 10am and the sun is slowly beginning to shine. The camera then pans down the beach to Ella, who is standing close to a man which introduces new character, Max. "Well, Max, maybe blind dates do work after all," she giggles, moving onto her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the lips.

Max takes hold of Ella's hand and they walk along the water's edge. "I had a great night," he tells her, tilting his head to the side. "Ditching the restaurant for karaoke in the pub was a good call." Ella laughs and replies, "I think so too."

Luke is sitting on the sofa at 4 Pembroke Drive. "Ella wasn't at home," he moans into his phone at his sister. "I'm there now, she came home late last night and she's gone again. Seemed in a good mood, so it may be worth seeking her out," suggests Evelyn. Luke replies, "I've gotta get to work, but I'll give a her call after."

Max gazes at the waves and suggests, "We should go for a swim." A playful glint sparkles in Ella's eyes as she looks amused. "It's freezing," she laughs. Undeterred, Max gives a nonchalant shrug and gently tugs at Ella's hand, coaxing her towards the water. Eventually, Ella relents with a laugh, shrugging her shoulders. With growing excitement, they quicken their pace and dash towards the water's edge. Max drops Ella's hand and runs in first, creating a splash. He turns to face Ella and soon begins playfully splashing water at her. With their laughter echoing in the crisp air, she starts splashing him back.

"Bit cold for that," a customer at the kiosk says with a shiver. Luke follows the man's gaze to the water and immediately winces at the vision. "Rather them than me," the customer continues, taking their burger off Luke.

Wish You The Best by Lewis Capaldi starts playing.

Do you think you could tell me everythin', darlin'?
But leave out every part about him
Right now, you're probably by the ocean
While I'm still out here in the rain
With every day that passes by since we've spoken
It's like Glasgow gets farther from LA

Naomi is in her room scrolling through photos of herself and Harry. Her eyes look down at the photos in regret. A pop up on social media appears to be advertising weddings. She sighs.

Biblical by Calum Scott plays.

So won't you give me tonight
And the rest of your life?
I wanna have it all with you
I wanna have it all with you

Her phone rings and Harry is on the other end. "Where did ya go?" he asks in a firm voice. "I was worried about you. You didn't turn up. No messages, no calls," he shouts down the phone. "I...forgot about our date," she remembers out loud. "I cooked for you," he cries. "I ran into Evelyn and she was upset, I brought her home. Harry, this is on you. You sent her that text." "I've not got time for excuses," Harry responds and ends the call.

She texts him: I'm sorry for forgetting but I've given up a lot for you, I'm not giving up supporting my friends as well.

Whatever, he replies.

The door rings and when Naomi gets to it, Evie has already answered and Billie's standing there looking gormless. She's out of breath, her hair is up in a messy bun and her usual leather jacket rests over her. "Girls, you need to check the uni group on Facebook right now." Billie quickly grabs Naomi's phone off of her and says, "Actually, you don't."

Evie stares down at her phone and immediately tears spring to her eyes. She quickly chucks her phone to the floor, the back of her hand hanging over her mouth to hide her gasps. "What is it?" asks Naomi, placing her hand on the back of Evie, just like she had the night before.

"Can I say?" Billie asks and Evelyn nods. She reaches down to pick Evie's phone up off the floor and gestures for the others to take a seat. Billie sits on the couch next to Evelyn and Naomi sits on the single chair. "Somebody's posted a photo of Evie online." "With no clothes on," Evie interrupts, to get straight to the point.

"Who would do that?" Naomi gasps. "It doesn't matter," breathes out Evie, pushing away the tears from under her eyes. "I'm hacking this page now, this is ridiculous," Billie says angrily. She presses some buttons on her phone and stays silent for some time whilst she types away. Naomi widens her eyes in surprise.

Back at the beach, Luke's shift has finished and he's about to head home with a mopey look on his face when he sees Ella not far from the kiosk with her arms tangled around Max. Before he can escape them, Ella calls over to him. "Hey Lukey!" He presses in his earphones and tries to pretend he doesn't hear her, but she runs over and grabs him by the arm.

But, oh, my love
I wanna say, "I miss the green in your eyes"
And when I said we could be friends, guess I lied

He pulls the earphones back out, sighing internally. "Hey Ells," he breathes out. "This is Max," she introduces, as Max catches up with her. Luke and Ella's eyes linger on each other's for a moment or two. "Okay," Luke says a little bluntly. "We met on a blind date and realised we have so much in common, isn't that awesome?" Ella beams. "Sure," Luke chokes out. "Nice to meet you, mate. Ella mentioned you," Max chimes in.

Ella's phone makes a sharp beep, startling her as she glances down at the screen, her eyes widen in alarm. Looking up at Luke, her expression is filled with concern, she asks, "Where's your sister?" Luke responds with a nonchalant shrug. "Last I knew, she was at your house. Why?" Without a moment's hesitation, the small blonde turns abruptly to Max and hurriedly utters, "Sorry, we need to go. Can I text you later?" Max nods understandingly as Ella flashes him an apologetic smile, swiftly leading Luke away by the arm.

Back at the house, Billie and Evelyn are still on the sofa, whilst Naomi has left the room. "I've taken it down," Billie tells Evie. "I can't believe this has happened," Evie sobs. Billie puts her arm around her. At that moment Luke and Ella burst through the door. Luke sees his sister in tears and immediately runs over to hug her. "You all saw?" she splutters, more tears falling. "No," Luke says immediately shaking his head.

The room falls silent until Luke asks, "Can I do anything?" through teary eyes of his own. It's clear how much he looks up to his sister from the way he looks across at her. Naomi comes back into the room at that minute. "There are a lot of people here, it's overwhelming," Evelyn thinks out loud.

Naomi gestures for Evelyn to come and speak to her in the kitchen and Ella pulls Luke off into her room. "Are you okay if I pop out and get us all something to eat?" she asks. Evie nods. "Are you okay to be left alone with Billie?" she questions after their conversation the night before. Evie nods again. "She got the photo taken down for me, that's all I could have asked of anybody right now," Evie breathes out. Her hands trail down her face wiping away any remnants of tears.

In the space of Ella's room, she pulls Luke into a tight embrace, providing a sense of reassurance with her words, "We'll get justice for your sister." Luke's body remains rigid at first, his breath shallow as if he's holding onto something—whether it's the worry for his sister or the discomfort of being so close to Ella, he's not entirely sure. The weight of the past few days presses down on him, yet there's something about Ella's touch, her presence, that both soothes and unsettles him.

As moments pass, the tension in Luke's muscles begins to dissolve, and he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Ella can feel the change in him, the slight shift in his posture as his hands find a resting place on her back, hesitant but needing the connection. She slowly steps back, giving him the space to breathe, her eyes searching his face with a concern that deepens the longer she looks. "What's wrong?" she inquires softly. "It's going to be okay; everybody will forget about all of this by next week." The way his eyes avoid hers, flickering with something she can't quite place, makes her heart ache with a sympathy that threatens to crack her calm exterior.

Naomi is walking past the university campus on the way to pick up some food. The sky is starting to darken and there aren't many people around, just one car with a man in it. She winces as she walks and then pushes her body onto a brick wall and sits there for a moment whilst grabbing her stomach. Her breathes are quickening but she tries to slow them down to reduce the pain.

"Hey, are you okay?" a voice calls out. The show introduces Sam, the man who was previously in the car. He stands at about 6 foot 1, with brown hair and striking green eyes.

Naomi looks over to him and nods, but he walks closer. She glances at his car and then back at him. "I'm fine, I'm used to it," she says nonchalantly. Naomi reaches into her bag, retrieves a pot of prescription tablets, takes one, and then looks back at the man.

Naomi gazes at the man's car once more, taking note of the messily packed luggage in the back. Suddenly, a memory floods her mind - the image from ten minutes ago when she was about to walk past. "Are you sleeping in a car?" she inquires, her voice tinged with concern. The man's expression twists into a grimace, and he responds with a resigned shrug.

Playlist:

Wish You The Best by Lewis Capaldi
Biblical by Calum Scott

Author's notes: Sorry for the delay getting this chapter out! Do you think we can trust the new characters?