Consumed with guilt over Raffy’s (Olivia Deeble) accident and epilepsy diagnosis, Ryder (Lukas Radovich) hits the bottle in an attempt to drown his sorrows.
“Ryder thinks that the only way of managing his emotions is by numbing them, which works for a short time but becomes a dangerous coping mechanism,” says Lukas.
And when it seems that everyone has forgotten the teen’s 18th birthday, Ryder hits an even lower point.
Returning home drunk once again, he’s in for quite a serve from Alf (Ray Meagher).
“Ryder wasn’t necessarily upset because his birthday was forgotten, but it was the final provocation which leads to him going off the rails,” says Lukas.
Indeed, Ryder isn’t in the mood to take advice from Alf – or anyone, for that matter.
The next day, when Roo (Georgie Parker) and Alf try to apologise for forgetting his birthday, Ryder is quick to cut them off. Storming out of the house, he makes it clear he wants to be left alone.
But is Ryder thinking straight when he decides to hitchhike his way out of town?
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