One Year Earlier - November   It was embarrassing to admit just how much time JB spent in isolation with Aspen.   Even before they had begun dating, before they had ever met, he had been a very solitary person. All of his friends were very energetic and outgoing, and he spent the majority of his time on their outings watching them, and laughing at their crazy antics. But Aspen was just as reserved as he was, even more so; she was quiet and solitary, and these were plusses outside of the fact that he adored her. While they spent the weekdays with his friends, the weekends had become time that they spent alone, usually at his house, or somewhere in the city.   It went without saying that this irked his friends; over the past eleven months JB had been chewed out dozens of times by Jackson, and had had to listen to BamBam’s whining on more than one occasion. Despite this, his friends were pretty cool about it, still (it helped that Iris, who liked Aspen and wanted to keep her around, was on his side); they said their piece but left him alone, for the most part.   But the St. Matthews Winter Fair was another story entirely. It was an event that took place every year in November, and it was an event that their group had attended every year, without fail, since the seniors had been freshmen. It was also an event that they would not allow JB to bail out on, no matter what; it meant that Aspen would have to join their group and accompany JB for the day, whether she wanted to or not – Jackson didn’t care either way, as long as it got them there. Fortunately, Aspen wasn’t too opposed to the idea, and she agreed to go relatively easily; on the second weekend of the month, she, JB and his Mustang joined his friends’ caravan and made the hour and a half trip up north to West Palm Beach, where a day of food, games and rides awaited them.   JB stayed to the back of their group with Aspen, walkin