'Skin Deep'

Melody arrives at work desperate for the gossip of Lily and Heston’s weekend. Vivien is short with her and later Heston antagonises Vivien with his happy romantic outlook. Heston speaks to Julia about Lionel being back. He wants help matchmaking but Julia sternly tells him to back off.

At lunch time Vivien reprimands Heston for being ostentatious with his romance. He cleverly applies her words to the Lionel situation.

At the campus surgery Ruth is taking Michelle’s cardigan out of her bag but quickly puts it back as Heston comes in. They discuss the joys and sufferings of new romance. Michelle enters looking for her cardigan. With a twinge of guilt Ruth denies seeing it. Michelle then quizzes Ruth about her night of passion with ‘Andrew’ but is interrupted by the phone. Daniel has rung and wants to speak to Ruth; Michelle tells him Ruth will phone him back. Ruth and Michelle discuss the date; Michelle wants to meet ‘Andrew’.Ruth promises they can meet soon.

Later, Michelle catches Ruth trying to return her cardigan. She pretends she just found it under the desk. Michelle asks if she’s spoken to Daniel yet. Clearly lying Ruth says yes and that it was about nothing.

George has taken the morning off because Ronnie wants to plan the move to China, but George is reluctant. The phone rings and Ronnie answers it. It’s her mum, but George doesn’t want to speak to her; she is avoiding telling her about the move but Ronnie tells her she must tell her mum today.

Later, they go to the park for a picnic, and with the help of a fortune cookie, Ronnie convinces George of the urgent need to tell her parents.

When they are packing up the picnic her phone rings; it’s her mum again and eventually she answers it. She tells her about Shanghai and flinches at the reaction. As she tries to calm her down, Ronnie gives her a protective hug. Ronnie and George look worried, it all suddenly seems very real and they wonder if they are making a mistake.

Meanwhile, Lottie Honeybun (15) is walking along a country lane scratching her bloodied, bandaged arms; it looks as if she might self harm. Later we see her being followed and yelled at by two other teenage girls. On the main road, Jac Paine (15), looking slightly unwell, Tiffany Wilts (15) and three other teenage girls surround Lottie. Tiffany makes abusive remarks. Seeing a gap Lottie bolts towards the road and Tiffany throws an egg at her.

The egg, hits a stressed Julia’s car as she drives to work. She stops and gets out and seeing Lottie alone and frozen to the spot, assumes it was her who threw the egg and reprimands her. Lottie runs away, and later outside school she is again bullied; they tease her for scratching all the time. Lottie walks away from the school. Jac feels faint and also decides not to go into school.

Julia arrives at work still fuming about the egg. Lily enters trying to hide her happiness. Lottie enters the Mill wanting to see a doctor, but seeing Julia she runs. Julia talks angrily about Lottie, wanting to call the police, however Melody defends her.

In the park Lottie is crying and, seeing Jac looking ill on a bench, she hides. Trying to sneak past him, he sees her; seeing how ill he looks she stops to ask if he’s OK.

Grudgingly he shows her his infected arm. She convinces him to see a doctor and reluctantly he accepts her help and company. At the surgery Lottie waits outside. Julia sees her but Jac defends Lottie, telling the truth about who threw the egg. Julia goes out to talk to Lottie, and apologising she takes her inside to see Melody. In Julia’s office Lottie eventually reveals her angry red flaking skin. Melody comes in to see Lottie who tells her she has psoriasis.

Jac sees Jimmi and shows the home made tattoo he did with a big pin. Jimmi prescribes antibiotics, and recommends he waits to get a professional tattoo when he is eighteen.

Lottie and Jac enter reception at the same moment. Julia draws them both to one side as they discuss their ailments, and then gives them both a lift back to school. Seeing the bullies as they get out of the car, Jac moves over to them, not wanting to be seen with Lottie. Back in school Tiffany, Jac and the other bullies start on Lottie again accusing her of having lice. She stands up to them. Everyone except Jac slopes off. He looks at her, impressed, and follows Lottie, not Tiffany, into school.