Number 22
Paul asks Emmett if his mum visits him, but Emmett says he hasn't seen her in a while. He had hoped he could live with David and Aaron again, but he knows that's not an option now there's a baby on the way. David and Aaron come back inside and ask Emmett if he's ready to return to his aunt's place. Paul heeds Emmett's wishes and doesn't tell the boys what they were talking about, but says he wants to come along for the drive to catch up with Emmett some more.

Number 28
Susan sees Hendrix packing his school bag and lets him know she's got spare folders if he needs them. Hendrix gets a phone call from Toadie about his case. Susan and Karl listen in anticipation while Hendrix talks, but the conversation doesn't seem to be going the teen's way. He hangs up and looks anxious.

SUSAN: What did he say?
HENDRIX: I'm being charged with reckless endangerment for taking the gun.
KARL: The fact you helped with Kane doesn't allow for leniency?
HENDRIX: They could do that with the gambling charges but the gun was a separate thing. And because I took it, planning to use it for protection, they said they couldn't do anything. There's a sentence hearing in a couple of weeks.
SUSAN: I'm sure the judge will take everything into consideration.
KARL: And Toadie will help you prepare. It might not be as bad as you think.

This doesn't fill Hendrix with any reassurance, however, and he continues to look upset.

Number 22
The next morning Paul tells Terese that he pretended he had to use the bathroom at Emmett's place last night so he could have a sneaky look around. Paul admits the place was clean but Aunt Linda wasn't the friendliest of people. And when she saw Emmett all she said was, "about time you got here" then ignored him. Terese thinks Linda may have reacted badly because she was worried, and asks if Paul has told David and Aaron yet. Paul doesn't see why he should considering the boys don't have the room, but Terese says they could make room.

PAUL: If Emmett comes to stay then it's likely that Brent will too.
TERESE: Is that why you haven't told them? (Paul can't meet her eyes) Paul, you've got to say something to them!

Paul's saved by a notification on his phone, but he's dismayed to see it's Melanie trying to get in contact with him again via DM. Terese tells him to reply to her and get it over and done with, but Paul retorts that if she knew Melanie like he does, she wouldn't be so hasty to suggest the reunion. David stops by looking despondent as they've hit another dead end with Brent. He asks if Paul's heard anything from John Wong, and Paul casually mentions he got a message earlier telling him to call. David and Terese are both frustrated Paul didn't say anything sooner and tell him to ring John ASAP. Paul calls the PI and has the news David wants to hear - Brent's been found in the city and John's bringing him back now.

Harold's Café
John sits with Brent at a table and goes over to speak with David and Aaron when they arrive. John lets them know he found Brent wandering around Southern Cross station and doesn't think he's slept all night. Brent refused to go with John at first, but when he heard he could see Emmett he agreed to come. David and Aaron thank John for his time, then go over to see Brent. The boys ask how he's doing and say they want to help him, but Brent's on the defensive and angrily says he doesn't need their charity. He just wants to know if his brother's okay.

BRENT: That's the only reason why I'm here.
DAVID: Emmett is okay... Is there a reason why he shouldn't be?
AARON: Brent why don't you come and see him for yourself, he's really worried about you.
BRENT: No. I don't want him to see me.

He tucks his hair behind his ear revealing a huge bruise on his forehead. Concerned, David asks how he got it but Brent just says he slept in the wrong spot. Brent goes to take off again, but David and Aaron manage to get him to stay by reminding him how devastated Emmett would be not to see him.

Ramsay Street
Nicolette chats with Harlow and Mackenzie as they pack the car for a beach day. Harlow says she's planning to stay away from boat sheds this time. Nic asks how Harlow is otherwise, and the teen replies that she's fine but quite sick of her granddad "banging on about you all the time". Nic sighs and says the truce must be off. Mackenzie's excited that the beach won't be crowded since all the school kids are heading back today. This makes Harlow think about Hendrix and she can't help glancing over at #28. Once Nic heads home, Mackenzie notices where Harlow's looking and reminds her friend they made a pact.

MACKENZIE: No more thinking about Hendrix for you, and no more missing Jay for me.
HARLOW: I know but it's going to be really hard for him.
MACKENZIE: That's not something you should be worrying about.

Harlow relents and starts the car so they can begin their day of fun. Hendrix emerges from #28 in his school uniform just in time to see them drive off.

Erinsborough High
Susan introduces the new maths and physics teacher, Curtis Perkins, to Jane. Susan says it's Curtis's first teaching appointment, and Jane jokes it must be why he looks so happy, he doesn't know what he's in for.

SUSAN: Curtis is also deaf. He's going to run some Auslan classes for the Year 9 Connections program.
JANE: (curious) How do you cope on your teaching rounds if you can't hear what your students are saying?
CURTIS: I have a cochlear implant. Plus I can lip read, so that's more than enough to get by. And like any teacher, if you build a good relationship with kids, they won't take advantage of you.
JANE: I think you're very brave.

Susan notices Hendrix trundle past and reminds him there's an assembly in the gym starting soon. Hendrix just nods at her and keeps walking. Jane notices Hendrix's downcast mood, and Susan asks her and Curtis to keep an eye on him during class for her.

Number 32
Brent has had a shower and change of clothes and is happily playing Jenga with Emmett at the table. Nicolette joins David and Aaron in the kitchen for a chat and shows them the emergency housing accommodation info Toadie just dropped off. David says the next step is trying to convince Brent to use it. At the table, Emmett asks his brother how he got the bruises on his face, but doesn't buy the excuse Brent makes about roughhousing with one of his mates.

EMMETT: I think you should come back to Aunty Linda's.
BRENT: Em, you know she hates my guts, mate.
EMMETT: Maybe you could try again?
BRENT: No.
EMMETT: So what are you going to do? Stay on the streets?

David and Aaron overhear and show Brent the info Toadie gave them. Aaron says none of the accommodation is permanent but it'll be helpful for Brent while he's looking for somewhere else to stay. Brent isn't very grateful, claiming he's heard about all of the places listed and says he'd be better off sleeping on the streets. Emmett gets frustrated with Brent's attitude and says that David and Aaron genuinely care about him, otherwise they wouldn't have spent so much time searching for him. "What's so bad about trusting them? Why can't you just give these places a go?" Emmett adds. Not wanting to upset his brother further, Brent begrudgingly has another look at the list.

The Waterhole
Mackenzie and Harlow are finishing up their breakfast before they head to the beach. Harlow gets a text from Terese, letting her know that Brent's been found. Mac's glad to hear that Brent won't have to keep sleeping rough, and Harlow agrees, "I wouldn't wish it upon anyone". Karl sees them on his way in and Harlow can't help asking how Hendrix was this morning, much to Mackenzie's chagrin. Karl admits Hendrix wasn't exactly excited but he'll get into the swing of it eventually. When Karl leaves, Harlow claims she was just making polite conversation. Mackenzie knows it's hard for Harlow not to care about her ex, especially since she's such a caring person in general, but she can't put herself through the hurt again. Harlow knows her friend is right, but she can't help but send one text to Hendrix for good luck. Before she does, however, she notices a post on social media from Jeremiah and shows Mackenzie.

MACKENZIE: He's going skydiving, cool.
HARLOW: No, the caption: 'shout out to Hendrix for the discount on the voucher'.
MACKENZIE: He sold your Christmas present?

Harlow looks upset so Mackenzie tells her to turn off her phone so they can enjoy their day.

Erinsborough High
Jane and Susan notice Hendrix sitting outside by himself at lunch. Jane thinks they should encourage him to go to the Year 12 common room, and Susan admits how strange it is to see him all alone. She stops Curtis as he passes by and asks how Hendrix was in class. Curtis says he was pretty quiet and withdrawn, then offers to have a chat with him now as he may be more responsive one on one. Hendrix is a bit wary when Curtis sits down with him, especially when the teacher says how gutsy it was to come back to school. Hendrix thinks Susan put him up to the pep talk, but Curtis says it was his idea to talk.

HENDRIX: Thanks but I'll be right.
CURTIS: Are you sure? Because you don't look very happy. Maybe you should go to the common room and see how everyone else is doing?
HENDRIX: I can't do that.
CURTIS: Why not?
HENDRIX: I don't have any friends anymore. Everyone thinks I'm a joke.
CURTIS: Everyone?
HENDRIX: Yeah. You heard the girls in class laughing and whispering about me. Or maybe you didn't.
CURTIS: I am deaf so that's entirely possible. But it is also possible that you're over-thinking things. Those girls could have been laughing about anything.

Hendrix isn't very responsive, so Curtis decides to leave him be for now. He tells Hendrix that if he ever needs to chat, though, he should come find him.

Number 32
Nicolette and Paul swap glares with one another when he calls in with Terese. Ned heard about Brent's situation and gave Terese some of his old clothes for the teen to wear. David and Aaron are appreciative not only for that, but for Paul hiring his PI to locate Brent. While Brent and Emmett are outside, they all talk about Brent's options for emergency accommodation. Nicolette has been calling around the places on the list but all of them have been full so far. David says the easiest thing would be for Brent to crash at Linda's but he's not allowed to.

AARON: Even if he were, he wouldn't go.
TERESE: Did he say why?
DAVID: Just that they don't get along.
AARON: Well at least Emmett's settled there so we don't have to worry about him.

When Paul stays mum, Terese pointedly clears her throat and nudges him to speak up. David asks his dad what's going on.

Number 32 Backyard
Brent and Emmett are sitting poolside with their feet in the water when David and Aaron go over to chat. They let Emmett know that Paul told them about his tense situation with Linda. Emmett's upset Paul spilled, but David and Aaron are glad he did. They wished Emmett had've told them himself, but Emmett thought they had enough to worry about, plus there's a baby on the way. Brent is equally as concerned as the last he heard, Emmett said everything was fine.

EMMETT: It's not that bad.
DAVID: Dad said there was a lot of tension.
EMMETT: (nodding) It could be worse.
BRENT: I thought me leaving would make things better for you.
EMMETT: What do you mean?
AARON: Yeah, what does that mean?
BRENT: Okay, Linda was always losing it with me. She wasn't happy about anything that I did. But whatever, all right, she can be a stress head and to be honest, I didn't really give a crap... Till she started yelling at Em too.
DAVID: So you thought that if you left that would stop?
BRENT: Well yeah. I mean, did it?
EMMETT: Yeah but I didn't know that's why you left. I thought you just hated her.

David and Aaron think they need to sit down with Linda and have a chat as she doesn't really know how Emmett's been feeling lately. David adds that sometimes people get caught up in their own problems that they don't realise what they're doing to the people around them. "Or maybe she's just a big, old cow," Brent chimes in. Nicolette appears and apologises for interrupting, but she's rang everywhere and no one has any emergency accommodation free for at least a week. Brent and Emmett look worried.

Erinsborough High
Karl brings Hendrix his lunch he forgot at home. Hendrix is embarrassed when school kid, Louis, witnesses the exchange and laughs. Karl asks how Hendrix is going and Hendrix admits his mate tagged him in a post that Harlow's going to be mad about if she sees it. Karl advises him to get in quick and apologise as hell hath no fury like an ex who is scorned. When he leaves, Hendrix hears Louis snickering again and asks what his problem is.

LOUIS: Me? You're the one who's been dumped and is back at high school. Can't believe how much of a loser you turned into.

Hendrix has no comeback and looks quietly defeated.

Number 32
Aaron, David and Nic are back in the kitchen with Paul and Terese outlining their plan for the boys. They're hoping once they've spoken with Linda then things will look up for Emmett, but Brent they're not sure about. There's no way they're going to let him go back to sleeping on the street, so they wondered if it would be okay with Nicolette if Brent stayed with them temporarily.

PAUL: Are you insane? I'm sorry, but after everything that happened last time, I think I have a right to be concerned.
DAVID: Dad we understand that, but it's not for forever. It's just until we can find him another place. (To Nic) But if you would feel uncomfortable with him being here, or Jane does, then we'll totally understand.

Paul glares at Nicolette, almost willing her to back down, so of course she does the opposite. She tells David and Aaron that it's their home at the end of the day and she's happy to take their lead. David and Aaron thank her for her generosity.

Ramsay Street
Harlow parks the car out the front of #22 in a much happier mood than earlier. She tells Mackenzie it's the best day she's had in ages, which Mac agrees with. Her mood changes, though, when she gets a text from Hendrix. In it he apologises for selling the skydiving voucher and explains he only did it because of the massive debt he owed Kane and that he had no other choice.

MACKENZIE: Harlow turn off your phone again, don't let this mess with your head.
HARLOW: I want to message him back.
MACKENZIE: Harlow...
HARLOW: And tell him I'm furious.
MACKENZIE: ... Really?
HARLOW: Yeah, absolutely. What do you think I should say?
MACKENZIE: Something clear and direct like, thank you for your message but I'd prefer it if you don't contact me for a while.
HARLOW: How long's a while?
MACKENZIE: However long you need. You don't have to say when. You need to focus on looking after yourself, and that means giving yourself space so you can get over him.

Harlow ponders on Mackenzie's advice.

Lassiters Complex
Paul's in a foul mood about Brent staying at #32, but Terese reminds him it'll only be for a week or two. Paul scoffs that Brent can cause a heck of a lot of damage in a week, not to mention how it will affect Harlow. Terese starts to say that if he asked Harlow for her thoughts, she probably wouldn't want Brent living on the streets, but Paul gets distracted when he sees Jane. He's certain Jane will see sense about Brent, and is somewhat victorious when Jane admits she wasn't entirely sold on the idea when David called her earlier.

JANE: I told him I'd like to think about it. I deal with tempestuous teens all day at school, I'm not sure that I want to live with one.
PAUL: And this one isn't just tempestuous, he's a thug. We just saw him a short while ago with bruises all over his face.
TERESE: Brent had bruises all over his face because somebody beat him up, not the other way around.
JANE: I'd hate to think of anyone going through that no matter what they've done. I'll ring David and tell him that it's fine.
PAUL: What, just like that?
JANE: Aaron and David have been very forgiving towards Nicolette. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't show the same charity.

Jane heads back to school and Terese is amused that Paul didn't end up getting his own way like he thought. "Charity!" she remarks to her husband. "What a novel concept."

Number 32
Nicolette looks on in the background while David and Aaron tell an excited-looking Brent and Emmett that Brent can stay with them temporarily. Aaron says it was good timing anyway as Chloe was going to move out, so she's given them permission to clear out her bedroom for Brent. David reminds Brent, though, that Nicolette and Jane are paying tenants who have generously allowed him to stay, so he needs to treat them with respect. Nicolette hides a fond smile when Aaron adds that goes double for Nic since she's pregnant and can't afford the stress.

DAVID: Aaron and I need respect too, that's the only way this can work. Do you think you can do that?
BRENT: (genuine) Yeah.
DAVID: Good. Because we can't have a repeat of what happened last time.
BRENT: No, no, don't worry, all right. It won't ever be like that again. I promise.
DAVID: We hope so, because we're happy you're here too.

The boys make a move to take Emmett back home, but Brent can't help but ask if Emmett can live at #32 as well. Nicolette appears uneasy about this. David tells Brent it's probably better if they sort things out with Linda since she's Emmett's official guardian. Aaron says that Emmett can come visit any time, which makes the teens happy. Emmett says in that case, he'll be back tomorrow. This doesn't sit well with Nicolette either for some reason.

Erinsborough High
Hendrix is hit with a one-two sucker-punch, firstly when he sees the word 'LOSER' scrawled across his locker. And then when he gets a text from Harlow that says, 'Thank you for your apology but I am trying to move on so please don't message me again'. Curtis sees Hendrix punch his locker and tells him to calm down, but Hendrix just starts yelling about how much he hates it at school. Susan emerges from her office after hearing the commotion, but Hendrix storms down the hallway in a furious manner, kicking a bin to the ground for good measure.