Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) and Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman) make amends in EastEnders next week, after a turbulent time for them both.
The teens immediately struck up an unlikely friendship on his arrival in Albert Square last year, but it wasn’t long before she landed him in hot water.
Avani used him as the perfect cover to go and meet her much older boyfriend, allowing parents Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) to believe that she and Barney were an item.
Mason, the older lad she was really seeing, began pressuring her to take their relationship to the next level, and when she declined, he threw her to the ground.
A bruised and bloody Avani came home, with Ravi suspecting that Barney was the one behind her injuries.
He darted to find the youngster, and in a fit of rage dragged him on top of the Turpin Road viaduct.
Barney pleaded for forgiveness, trying to explain that it was merely a case of mistaken identity. But m.u.r.d.e.r.o.u.s Ravi had already seen red, and dangled him over the side of the bridge.
A vicious feud soon erupted between the Panesar and Mitchell clans, with the latter burning the former’s call centre out.
Since then, Avani and Barney have kept their distance – but have each suffered horrific setbacks over the last month.
For Barney, he was the one who exposed Sharon Watts’ (Letitia Dean) affair with Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) to his dad Teddy (Roland Manookian).
At the same time, his real father Zack Hudson (James Farrar) became desperate to expose his paternity, and he wasn’t prepared to keep silent for long.
Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) could see her world collapsing, and since then has done everything she can to keep Zack from spilling to Teddy and Barney.
The parental realisation was only made when Barney suffered complications from wounds sustained during the Queen Vic explosion, and his blood type was overheard by Zack.
Whilst these issues were developing, Avani found herself on the wrong side of the law when her former vape dealer dropped a bag of drugs at her feet.
She, alongside friends Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) and Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) were carted off to the police station – where Avani was later strip searched.
The ordeal traumatised her, and she refused to allow her family to lodge an official complaint.
Since then, she’s turned to smoking weed and knocking back alcohol.
Avani has been reluctant to speak to Amy, following her father Jack’s (Scott Maslen) comments about Avani’s upbringing.
As we saw earlier this week, the two finally found mutual ground and extended an olive branch to one another.
Her issues are set to worsen though, as in upcoming scenes, she contacts her dealer again and heads to party at Amy’s house.
When he friend discovers what she’s doing, and she’s forced to bin the drugs. Matters escalate when dealer Declan shows up at the bash.
With Priya and Ravi clueless with how to help their daughter, Avani confides in another local instead – Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter).
Priya continues to be concerned, and hopes that Avani will reach out to her friends. Unfortunately, Amy is avoiding her texts, but there is someone else she could turn to…
Over a McKlunkys special, Avani gets back on good terms with Barney, and it becomes clear that this could well be the boost they both need.
But this is Walford, and it probably won’t be long before more upset comes their way!
