Ric and Drew look suitably sheepish as, the pair of them having been let off with a warning, Fitz presents them both to Alf and Dan, neither of whom are in the mood for forgiving. You’d think, then, that the terrible twosome wouldn’t be in any great hurry to pay another visit to the drag-racing scene. If the threat of police action wasn’t a deterrent (assuming that the Summer Bay police are quick enough off the mark), then the thought of Alf being ready to “tan both their flaming hides” certainly should be. Not for Drew. You see, no sooner has Dom returned “The Beast” to him than he finds himself being challenged to a race by Denni, the shady-looking driver of a passing car. “Look, mate, if Dom’s right and that bloke in the clown car does wanna race you, don’t even think about it,” Ric warns, clearly interrupting Drew’s visions of himself as the next F1 hotshot. But there’s no reasoning with him. Not even Jazz’s novel approach of trying to relate to him can do the trick: “Curiosity is a great thing. I was curious about sex, and then you came along.” Lovely. So, scare tactics, friendly advice and, err, repulsion all having failed, Drew arranges a race with Denni – and finds out just how it is that ex-girlfriend Lisa was able to break the news of his run-in with the police to a furious Belle. Yep, Lisa is Denni’s new squeeze, and don’t think she won’t be up for causing some trouble.Maybe babyPoor Ric’s had a rough ride (rather too literally) thanks to Drew’s shoddy judgment, and it’s not just that which gives him reason to walk around like a bear with a sore head all day; he finds a used pregnancy test in the bin at the diner apartment, and jumps to all the wrong conclusions when he sees that it’s positive. So, while Matilda is busy trying to lend some moral support to actual mum-to-be Emma, Ric spends his time pondering fatherhood – and quizzing Martha on her dating exploits, just in case.

Having reached his own conclusions, he finally broaches the subject with Matilda and tells her that it’s not her fault, leaving her to wonder how word could possibly have spread about her secret: that she cheated in her HSC Maths trial by completing a distraught Emma’s exam paper, as well as her own. “Well, you didn’t exactly do it by yourself,” he goes on, observing her quizzical expression.

Still not getting anywhere, he has no choice but to spell it out. “Mattie, it’s my baby,” he says, confused as to why she doesn’t feel that this whole thing is any of his business. When the truth finally comes out, Ric’s quick to express his relief, and winds up answering his own questions about who’s really pregnant; Mattie’s too preoccupied with plans to go back to school to collect her books for the next exam.

There she and Ric cross paths with Don, who’s been busying himself arguing with Dan about crime and punishment in the wake of the cheating scandal. "Miss Hunter, you need to accompany me to the principal's office regarding your exam paper,” he says grimly, leading her to her fate.

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