Jacob Gallagher's behaviour took a worrying turn for the worse in tonight's Emmerdale double bill as Maya Stepney continued to play her twisted mind games with the teenager as he celebrated his 16th birthday.
Soap fans have seen Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) prepare to sleep with Maya (Louisa Clein) for the first time in recent episodes, but although Maya promised that they could take the next step today, their plans are unexpectedly interrupted by Liv Flaherty's (Isobel Steele) arrival.
While Jacob thinks on his feet and tells Liv his romantic set-up was all for her, Liv surprises Jacob by considering sleeping with him – which leaves Maya furious when she shows up at the summer house and sees the pair together.
Ultimately, Liv admitted that she didn't want to sleep with Jacob, and the pair didn't do anything, but the whole thing leaves Jacob annoyed with Maya for not showing up in the first place, which soon has disastrous consequences during his party at the café.
When Maya and Jacob find a moment alone to talk, Maya accuses Jacob of being careless and says he risked them getting caught, telling Jacob he won't have the chance with her again even though he points out the whole thing was her idea.
Upset, Jacob gets increasingly drunk at his party and ends up lashing out at Liv, making a flippant remark about how she won't sleep with him. And, after Liv and Gabby end up leaving as a result of his nasty actions, Jacob launched into a rant about people who play mind games.
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"Actually, I have got a few things I'd like to say," Jacob began. "I can't be doing when people just mess you around. They tell you something but they don't really mean it.
"They're just messing, messing with your head. And why? Don't say you'll do something if you're not going to. Just be honest with people.
"She's sound, is Liv. Some other people should be more like her. Instead of just getting in your head."
But while fans were hoping Jacob would finally reveal what's been going on to his family and friends, unfortunately the alcohol soon caught up to him and Jacob ended up throwing up everywhere before he could say anything else.
And, to make the whole thing worse, Maya continued her games later in the night by making up with Jacob, and promising him that they will sleep together soon, leaving viewers more frustrated than ever:
Fortunately for fans, Emmerdale boss Kate Brooks recently promised "the right outcome" to Jacob and Maya's grooming story.
"We've been working really closely with Barnardo's to make sure that we get it right, and doing a lot of other people's stories justice," she said.
"It's something that's not really been touched on in soaps. It's a tricky story to tell but we've managed so far to tell it as sensitively as possible. It's not going to be as straightforward as you'd imagine."
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
Barnardo's protects, supports and nurtures the UK's most vulnerable children and young people.
Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 (www.nspcc.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline on (1-800-422-4453) or the American SPCC (www.americanspcc.org).
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