EastEnders' Tiffany Butcher made a heartbreaking decision in Friday's (March 8) episode as her life continued its downward spiral.
The teen has been considering leaving Walford ever since she was arrested over Keegan Baker's (Zack Morris) overdose, even though she was narrowly able to escape any actual criminal charges.
The BBC One soap opened on Friday (March 8) with Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) worried sick when Tiffany (Maisie Smith) showed up back at the house after staying out all night with drugs dealer Evie Steele (Sophia Capasso).
"Why should I wait up all night worrying if you've been run over, picked up, groomed or you're just lying dead in a ditch somewhere?" a tearful Whitney asked. "You know this ain't my job! I ain't even your mother."
"I know and I'm sorry," a heartbroken Tiffany sighed. "I promise you ain't gonna have to worry about me anymore."
Tiffany then started packing up her things, assuming her own option was to move back in with mum Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) in Milton Keynes. Later in the episode, Tiffany came face-to-face with Keegan while skipping school and shared that she'd be leaving the Square.
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"I don't really have too many friends," she admitted. "My mum, she don't really want me. And Whit is nice, she's just too busy. And I love Bernie, but not like that. But Evie, she makes me feel special."
Though she was clearly looking for a friend to encourage her to stay, Keegan coldly blew her off by asking: "Who else wants you, Tiff? It's your mum or Evie. Not much of a choice."
By the the time she returned home, Whitney had received a call that Tiffany hadn't been to school that day. Whit broke down in tears to Halfway (Tony Clay), ashamed that she hadn't lived up to being the mother figure Tiffany needed.
"You did nothing wrong Whit," Tiffany assured her. "It was my choice. My responsibility."
The two shared a hug and said their goodbyes, before Tiffany set off to tell her best friend Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) that she'd be going back to her mum.
"I do want to stay, but no-one wants me," she confided in her friend, with Bernie assuring her: "I want you!"
"Trust me, I'm not good for you," Tiffany told her while wiping away the tears.
As Tiffany left her friend behind, she even handed over her signature gold jacket as something for Bernie to remember her by.
"It's time to grow up, innit?" Tiff said setting the jacket down.
Although she assured Bernie that Evie wouldn't be able to find her in Milton Keynes, the closing minutes of the episode revealed that Tiffany had no intention of leaving.
Instead, the teen took her bags to meet Evie on the wrong side of town, where she shared a kiss with a waiting Evie under the passing trains.
"Welcome home," Evie ominously said while the two hugged.
Friday's episode ended on a haunting note with a close-up on Tiffany's face as the smile faded into sadness.
EastEnders continues on Monday (March 11) at 8pm on BBC One.
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