The Hills Episode 4.07 When Lauren's Away

For the first time in a long time, everything in The Hills seems to be going well for Lauren. She patched things up with Audrina. She's been able to stay friends with Doug after breaking up with him. And she is starting to feel confident about the fact that she chose Stephanie Pratt to join her inner circle. With everything looking up, Lauren is excited about going on a vacation to Italy. What could possibly go wrong while she's away?

After Lauren leaves, Stephanie stops by to talk to Audrina. As soon as she sits down, Stephanie spills a secret -- Doug asked her out on a date! With a raised eyebrow, Audrina advises her not to go out with him until she gets Lauren's blessing. Only problem is, Lauren's cell phone doesn't work in Italy so there's no way to reach her. Audrina warns Stephanie to tread lightly, and Stephanie insists that she would never make a play for a friend's ex.

At Bolthouse, Heidi tells Kimberly that she's concerned that she and Spencer are turning into an old married couple since they stay in all the time. In an effort to get their relationship back on track, Heidi decides to drag Spencer to a big party Bolthouse is throwing.

During a slightly awkward lunch at Fred Segal, Audrina and Lo make nice. When Audrina spills about Stephanie's big reveal about Doug, the always-loyal Lo flips out about the betrayal. The two girls agree it's an unspoken rule that you just don't stab your friend in the back like that.

Later, Audrina and Lo go to Goa, where they run into Heidi and Spencer. While Audrina and Heidi say hi and start gossiping about Stephanie and Doug, Lo watches disapprovingly. Despite the daggers, Heidi invites Audrina to the party she's putting together ... and Audrina accepts the offer. What will Lauren think about this little reunion?

The next day, Stephanie stops by Heidi and Spencer's apartment to talk to her brother. When she tells him that Doug asked her out, he seems to revel in the fact that she might betray his nemesis, Lauren. But he warns her that if she goes through with the date, her friendship with Lauren is most likely over.

At the Bolthouse party, Heidi, Spencer, Audrina and Justin hang out. The two Hills girls speculate about all the drama that'll go down if Stephanie and Doug go out behind Lauren's back. Having a good time, Audrina suggests Heidi should join her for lunch one day.

Meanwhile, Stephanie disregards everyone's advice and meets Doug for dinner. When Brody's name comes up, Doug admits they're good friends, and Stephanie expresses concern because Brody doesn't like her. When she asks if he told Brody about their date, Doug says no.

Just then, as Stephanie and Doug are getting flirty, Brody's mom walks into the restaurant and spots them. When she asks if they're on a date, they insist they're just friends. But they both realize that their secret is out -- and things are probably going to get ugly.

At Epic Records the next day, Audrina tells Chiara about how she and Lo have been bonding while Lauren's been away. When she admits she hung out with Heidi and Spencer, Chiara wonders what Lauren will think about the whole situation. It's weird how so much is happening while Lauren's away!

When Lauren comes back from Italy, she immediately asks Audrina and Lo what she missed. Lo reveals that they ran into Heidi and Spencer at Goa -- and Audrina comes clean about hanging out with them at the party. Lauren looks less than thrilled to hear the news. And when Audrina drops the bomb about what Stephanie told her, Lauren's face falls even further.

Lauren hopes Stephanie didn't actually go on a date with Doug, but her fears are confirmed when she has dinner with Brody. He reveals what his mom saw, and immediately tells Lauren, "I told you so." Lauren realizes that Brody might have been right all along -- Stephanie may not be such a good friend. So much for everything going well...