TUESDAY: "Esther, this is ridiculous, you know that?" Brenda says bluntly as she puts an ice pack over Esther's eye gingerly. "Do you know what kind of impact things like this have on the guys?"

"Is it turning purple?" Esther asks, completely ignoring both Brenda's question and her penetrating glare. She carefully removes the ice pack and touches her sore eye.

"Yes, it is," Brenda replies. "And stop touching it." She grabs the ice pack out of Esther's hands and plants it back on her eye. "Keep that on there," she commands. "Now, answer the question."

"Diana's still upset," Laura says, coming from the back of the bus. "She won't stop crying. Oh, Esther, how's the eye?"

"I still have one?" Esther retorts moodily.

"Yeah, I think it's still there." Brenda says with a smirk.

"Why'd Diana hit you anyway?" Laura asks, looking steadily at Esther with curiosity.

"Duh, square," Brenda replies flatly. "They had a dispute over 'him' again."

"'Him'?" Laura asks.

"Brian? Brian Littrell?!" Brenda exasperates, lightly tapping Laura upside the head.

"Oh..." Laura says once the information registers. "Why?" She asks.

"Honestly, I could cry," Brenda sighs under her breath. "Diana still likes Brian, even though they broke up. Brian has apparently taken a liking toward Esther, and Diana didn't like this, so when Esther and I got on the bus, Diana slugged Esther!"

"And I got this," Esther adds, taking the ice pack off and putting her face up in Laura's.

"Oh..." Laura replies again.

"Blondes..." Esther quips, putting the ice pack back over her eye and shaking her head.

"Hey! What about us blondes?" Nick asks, coming on the bus. He gave Esther a look of concern, then asks, "What's up with the eye?"

Esther removes the ice pack once again just as Howie and AJ come up the bus stairs. AJ, as usual, is on the phone with his mom, Denise, and is so absorbed in his conversation with her that he takes no notice to Esther at first. Howie, on the other hand...

"Ew! What happened to your eye?" Howie asks sympathetically. "It looks like something hit you." He steps closer to get a better look. "Yep, that's a black eye." He points out.

"I had a black eye once. I was nine, and I was climbing the pantry door in our kitchen and my foot slipped off the top edge and I came down and hit my eye on the doorknob." He nods his head as if agreeing with himself. "Got a concussion too. But I don't remember much from that experience." He says something in Spanish, then looks back at the others.

"Oh, so that's what happened to you?" Brenda mocks, stepping behind Esther. "I'd always wondered what made you the way you are."

"Esther, what really hit you?" Nick asks again, looking more concerned by the second.

"Well, it certainly wasn't a doorknob!" Brenda quips.

"Aw, want me to kiss it and make it better?" AJ asks in a baby voice as he hangs up his cell phone. He squeezes his cheeks together and puckers up.

"That's okay," Esther assures without hesitation. "I'll pass."

"Diana slugged her," Brenda explains as she once again recites the story for the ill minded.

"Oh..." They all reply in unison.

"You sure that it wasn't a doorknob?" Howie tries again.

"Howie, will you forget the doorknob?" Laura says in a threatening tone. Howie throws his hands up in surrender and backs off.

"Well, where's Diana now?" AJ asks, looking up at Laura.

"She's in back," Laura replies. "I'm gonna go check on her again." She turns around and heads for the back of the bus with AJ at her heels.

"Where are Kev and B-Rok?" Brenda asks, looking at the two remaining Backstreet Boys.

"They went out to pick up lunch," Nick answers, looking out the bus window.

"Chinese, I hope," Esther whines from under her ice pack.

"Mmm, no, burgers," Howie replies. "Chinese is for supper."

"Oh, well. It's better than none," Esther finished, getting up from the bus driver's seat and made her way to the kitchen table. It was still strewn with that morning's breakfast.

"Anyone for leftover sausage?" Howie quizzes, picking up a plate and passing it to Brenda to discard. Esther can't help but snicker, remembering a joke about a sausage from awhile back.

Slowly, they clear off the table and sit down. Brenda goes to the fridge, opens it up, and throws a Coke to Nick and Howie. She closes the fridge and comes back with a Sprite and a Diet Coke for her and Esther.

"Do you think this will upset Brian?" Brenda curiously questions the guys. Howie just shrugs.

"Yeah," Nick answers. "He doesn't like the thought of being competed for." Then he adds, "Personally, I think Diana still has feelings for him."

"No!" Brenda gasps, slamming her hand down on the table.

"Gee, Nick. Nothing gets past you," Esther quips.

"What's it like in there?" Howie asks, looking at Nick's head skeptically. Their insults and laughter are interrupted when they hear the bus open and look up to see Brian and Kevin coming up the stairs, white bags in their hands.

"Hey, Kev! Watch out for my..." Nick warns, but is too late. Kevin goes flying through the air and lands face first on the floor, with the lunches underneath him. "Uh, scuba gear," Nick finishes, apologetically.

"Good one, Twinkle Toes." Brian laughs, stepping over his cousin. "Could someone put the TV on that "South Park" marathon. It's supposed to be on Comedy Central today." He throws the bags on the table and starts handing them out while Brenda turns the TV on.

"Ok, here you go, Brenda. Um... Nick, this is yours. Esther, here's yours." He does a double-take, looks back at Esther and cries, "What happened?!" So this time, it's Esther who gets to do the explaining. By the story's end, Brian looks very discouraged.

"You're not mad, are you?" Esther questions in a small voice. She reaches out and touches Brian's arm.

"I'm going to settle this." Brian sighs and heads for the back of the bus. Kevin, Howie, and Nick look at each other with smiles on their faces.

"FIGHT!!!" They yell and bound for the door to the back of the bus.

"Mmmph!" Brenda mumbles when Nick topples over the table and the lunch, not to mention her as he dashes from the back corner of the table.

"You all get back over here!" She yells, once she catches her breath. The Boys trudge back over, bummed that 'Mommy' said no, and take their places at the table. Soon, Laura and AJ join the group.

Diana and Brian take a long time in the back room. Esther gets tired of hearing "They killed Kenny!", changes the channel on the TV and they all sit back and watch "Total Request".

Everyone soon begins to wonder what's taking the two so long and if they've sorted things out or not.

"Man, it's been a freakin' 45 minutes!" AJ exclaims, looking down at his watch. "What's taking them so long?"

"It's quiet, too," Kevin adds in a low voice.

"Maybe they killed each other!" Nick says with a laugh. Howie elbows him in the stomach and he doubles over onto the table.

"I'm going to check on them," Laura sighs and makes her way to the bedroom door. Everyone follows. "Brian?" Laura calls, knocking softly on the door. "Brian? Diana? Is everything alright?" She calls as she pushes open the door.

Once inside, everyone gapes at the sight of Brian and Diana making out in his bunk! They both jump off the bed, not looking at each other or anyone else.

Soon, the place is in an uproar. Esther gasps, bursts into tears, and dashes from the room. Brenda hisses, "I guess you settled things!" And follows Esther. The rest of the group is still in too much shock to really react.

"Esther!" Brenda yells, running swiftly across the parking lot to catch up with Esther. Esther shows no sign of slowing up as she darts in and out of between cars with tears streaming from her face.

She finally collapses on a small grassy area under a tree and starts sobbing uncontrollably. Brenda soon catches up and sits silently by Esther, watching helplessly as her friend's heart breaks...