James Rush is portrayed by Daniel Gillies and he is thirty-two years old. He is available.
"So frightened of dying. Relax, yes, I’m trying. But fear’s got a hold on me. Yes, this fear’s got a hold on me."
James Rush is a Riverdell native, though there was once a time when he wished with every fiber of his being that it wasn’t true. Though the town isn’t exactly small, it’s not large either and for James it was a problem. He was an active and busy kid who was always going somewhere or doing something. For a person like that, Riverdell can be restrictive and stifling. There was always one way he could help ease the boredom, and that was through his writing. James loved to write stories and poems as a child and he proved to be quite good at it and so he continued on. It proved to be his ticket out of Riverdell too, as his college application essay got him a half-ride scholarship to Chicago State University. James was over the moon when he finally packed his bags at the age of eighteen and set off for a big diverse city with much more to offer than hi hometown. He carved out quite a life for himself there. By the time he was twenty-three he had acquired his degree and the following year, he wrote a book and got it published. In the middle of all the excitement, James also met a girl; Harriet. They had a beautiful relationship, he loved her deeply and she loved him in return. Any happiness he found with her wasn’t to last sadly, because a few short months after James proposed, Harriet died due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. It was a hard blow for James and he was truly devastated. Chicago no longer held any good memories for him and was full of painful reminders of Harriet. He needed stability, support and familiarity. For the first time in his life, James needed home.
When James finally returned to Riverdell, he didn’t view it through the eyes of a stir-crazy, disillusioned and bored kid. He finally saw the town for what it was: charming and neighborly. Even more surprisingly, he found that there was in fact excitement in his hometown, he just needed to look hard enough. James has been back in Riverdell for three years now and has settled in, he manages the library to keep himself busy and is currently working on his third book. All was well for James Rush— Until recently. He has been having dreams about Harriet, which he figured were triggered by the anniversary of her death but they haven’t gone away with time. If anything they’ve gotten worse, and could easily be considered nightmares. Harriet is distorted and in obvious pain all the while she preys on James’ deepest fears and doubts such as he should have been there and saved Harriet and that it was all his fault she died because he didn’t notice the signs quick enough. Worse still, this angry and bitter version of Harriet has been appearing to him in his waking hours and tormenting him as he goes about his day.
✘ TRAITS -
+ Helpful, Reasonable, Calm - Reserved, Serious, Guarded
✘ CONNECTIONS -
LAURYN DIAZ - Lauryn is opinionated, blunt and a ball of Latin fire. Basically, she’s everything James isn’t. It was a running joke in High School that whoever discovered what Lauryn did to get James under her spell would be awarded one hundred dollars, but the truth was far more boring than everyone thought. Lauryn simply intrigued James. She and her family brought an excitement and zest for life that was lacking in Riverdell and so he was drawn to her. Lauryn considers James her best friend was truly sad when he left for Chicago but was also extremely excited for him. She visited James as often as she could and was the one who went to pick him up after his fiancée Harriet died.
ABIGAIL ESTERMONT - Abigail had the biggest crush on James when they were in High School, but he never knew her as anything other than the quiet kid who lived down the street and occasionally looked after his dog while he and his parents were out of town. Abi had once told him of her feelings, but James shot her down immediately leaving the girl hurt and offended. Now that she’s back in town, she plans on showing him exactly what he missed out on.
MARIA STRATFORD - Although she loathes to admit it, Maria has a serious case of puppy love when it comes to James. They met at the library where she briefly volunteered and she was smitten. This hasn’t escaped James’ notice and although he’s flattered by her crush, he does what he can to discourage it. After all, she is almost ten years younger than him.
