InsaneJournal

NAME: James Allan Henley. Jim if you're friendly.
AGE: 20
SEX: Male
BIRTHDAY: April 29th, 1990

FAMILY RESIDENCE: Primary: 350 Rhoden Drive, Charleston, SC. -- An Antebellum-style mansion rebuilt in 1886 and renovated several times to add modern amenities. It sits on the side of a small private lake and has a tract of land behind it. Some is used for horses, the rest is left wild for hunting.
Others: 23 E. Banks St., Chicago, IL. -- Not really his house, but he spent a lot of time here because it's where his cousins live. It's a large 6-bedroom townhouse near Lincoln Park and the Loop.
100 Gulf Stream Rd, Palm Beach FL. -- Their last remaining vacation home, maintained for appearance's sake. It's a Spanish-style compound on the coast with its own private beach. Two yachts remain here.
PB: Chris Egan

APPEARANCE: A brawny blond with an earnest face and an easy mannerism. He stands at around 5'10", a little shorter than some of his peers, but he makes up for it with a big, athletic physique and a bit of puppy fat still left on his belly and face. He's even somewhat barrel-chested, and has large hands and feet. Despite his size he still moves with plenty of youthful energy, tempered by a certain aura of seriousness. His gait is slow and unhurried, as though he has the confidence to know that whatever time he shows up at wherever he's going will be the very right time to be there. He even speaks with a little bit of a slow drawl, but is embarrassed by it being pointed out. It's not too strong, but it's still there. Sometimes he is guilty of speaking quietly, such that faster-paced talkers become impatient with the combination of slow speed and low volume. Some of his features may be a little on the sharp side, like his drawn brow, lofty cheekbones, and arrow-straight nose, but he grins easily, often sheepishly, and shows a lot of tooth.

For fashion, James isn't on the cutting edge of what's out, but his wardrobe consists of mostly classic pieces that will rarely go out of style anyway. It's not that he doesn't like replacing his clothes or refreshing his wardrobe. He simply prefers to have one personal style all the time, and classic's an easy way to do it. All of it is very high quality, its price more a reflection of that than its brand. If he wears a sweater, it's 100% real cashmere and the very best texture, even if it might be in a conservative color. On a normal casual day he might wear a good linen button-up shirt, usually rolled up sleeves, untucked over a pair of well-cut jeans and matching boots or sneakers. He does not like hats and doesn't even usually wear cologne, but jewelry may occasionally be seen on him. It's usually a nice gold watch or an old copper bracelet his sister gave him. For formalwear, it's a timeless tux all the way. Tailored jacket and pants, bowtie, cummerbund, french-cuffed shirt and cufflinks, freshly-polished shoes, the whole nine yards and no less. His mother would kill him if he showed up anywhere in a weird color, a gaudy tie, or (gasp) no tie.

OCCUPATION: Junior at Ainsworth University, majoring in business and contemplating a minor in English.
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES: Sigma Phi Epsilon, member (Apollo); Equestrian, vice-captain; Newspaper, staff writer.
HOUSING: ΣΦΕ House #104B (with Alex Archer)

STRENGTHS: Steadfast, mannerly, generally tolerant and concerned with others' feelings, generous, mature.
WEAKNESSES: Lets himself be ruled by obligations and habits, stubborn, stoic, privately obsessive, has a serious guilt complex.
WEIRD QUIRKS:
- Even despite the conflict with his religion and the general disapproval he'd get from his parents, he still calls his astrologer at least twice a week, every week. It gives him peace of mind to have a second opinion on his life where he's too proud to go to a therapist.
- It could be a strength or a weakness, but he tends toward being old-fashioned. It's not that he goes around disapproving of what everyone does, but he does believe some things should be done in a certain way. For example, he has strict personal rules about interacting with the opposite sex, outside of certain... circumstances. Also, if he's out with a group he can be relied upon to be the designated driver, though he complains from time to time about it. He thinks he makes a lot of sense and is a fairly good voice of reason; other people may be watching him miss opportunities for being overly cautious.

PERSONALITY: Outwardly, James is a very cool-headed, casual person. He seems very "chill" about most everything, content to give everyone around him a peaceful nod and a smile. He was taught from birth not to be offensive or make waves, and to be one of the "agreeably popular", someone who is genuinely at the top because he treated the people who took him there nicely. At least, to their faces. James thought that lying, cheating, and bullying were not in the Henley family rulebook, but apparently they are if you don't get caught outright. He is conflicted on how he feels about this, and continues to act in public as though he still held all of his old values of gentility and obedience. He is, overall, very well-bred, and was once quite idealistic. His public manner is sweet, unassuming, charming, and respectful to authority. It seems that he never makes a rash decision, and has a certain maturity and gravity of thought about him. He befriends likeminded individuals and laughs off schemes with the confidence only the reassurance of old money has.

In private, and especially amongst friends, he can be someone very different. There is no denying James has a stubborn streak in his personality, and once he's intent on doing something he is truly the immobile rock to the insurmountable force. He even has something of a temper when pushed too far. James often lets irritations build up until he can't contain them anymore, and explodes in rage months, sometimes years later. Otherwise, he has been quiet about his renewing ambitions since he came to Ainsworth, but a more devil-may-care personality is emerging from the introverted shell he started out in. Every once in a while, some activity "the guys" are doing will appeal to him, and he'll do something he would have previously rejected as against the rules. Small barbs of revenge at his father. He had never tried smoking before, but has gotten into the habit every so often, and he ruined the aspect of his 21st birthday by having alcohol regularly before then. It could be said that he has begun to test his limits, especially when surrounded by more daring people. He was especially tested in romance, where for the first time ever he attempted to have a one-night stand. Previously, he had only been engaged in strings of serial monogamy, and only ever seemed to feel lukewarm in relationships. Things would simply be "fine" until the pair mutually drifted apart. The danger of a one-night stand seemed to appeal to him privately, and suddenly it became a regular thing -- the more anonymous, the better. It makes him feel like a complete jerk, and he knows he wasn't taught politesse to abuse it that way, but it's such a rush. Unfortunately, it's complicated by the realization that he's unsure about his feelings regarding women. He is hesitantly bicurious, though he hasn't yet told anyone about this and is plainly terrified to. Mostly, he avoids discussing the subject of sex all together by consuming adult entertainment when he has the privacy to do so. Collecting little bits of things he shouldn't have and hiding them appeals to a more obsessive side of him.

When alone, the rest of his pleasant front gives way to someone who is very anxious, can never relax, and is often despairing about his life situation. He hates having to smile and lie about the amazing trust fund he's going to get at 21 and what he'll buy, and denying that anything bad has ever happened to his family. He desperately needs someone to talk to, but who could he possibly go to? As such, he shuts down his emotions before they get the better of him and has become quite a repressed person. He could never "talk about feelings", thus show anyone else how unsure of himself he really is. Validation means more to him than he lets on, as does criticism. He tries to be good for his own sake, and help his friends make more moral choices too. He really does. It's just very easy to get sucked into things he doesn't want to do when it makes him feel better about being with his social circle, as if he can "take it" as well as they can. Every so often, he considers writing a tell-all and ending the false status of the Henley family for good. It's why writing appeals to him, as if he holds a gun no one else knows about, and can pull the trigger whenever he feels like.

His other outlets include shooting, equestrian, guitar, and going to the opera house. He likes things that he can focus on completely and that bring him out of himself -- a classic escapist. He's quite good with a gun, having learned from his father at a fairly young age. He doesn't have any weapons on campus of course, but he does enjoy sneaking off to a firing range in a nearby town at times. Equestrian was another thing his father encouraged him to do, that he made his own. His family always had horses, with plenty of land for them. Focusing on the horse and its movements is soothing for him. Music was present early on as well, in the form of some nominal piano lessons, but James left the hobby to his sisters and prefers to watch or peck on a guitar. He likes the classical style, fingerpicks and all. He's not terrific at it but it's fun to try. In all, almost all of his interests are ones he picked up as a child and has never let go, much like his attitudes. Writing is the newest, and he's always looking for more diversions, especially cultured ones.

HISTORY: The Henley family first joined the ranks of the elite in 1904, when the Henley brothers from London won the Milwaukee Mile automobile race with their first famous model, the Henley Model No. Four Quadricycle. The No. Four, having taken home first prize, became a popular novelty for rich thrill-seekers. It made the leap from race car to family car with a plethora of adjustments, and the Henley Automotive Company was born. The company was then entrenched in a long, proud history. It hailed from two bases of operation -- one brother settled in Chicago with the daughter of their first rich benefactor as his wife, and the other left for Charleston to create a market for their work in the south. Together, the Henley brothers weathered two world wars, both times taking contracts for the government and employing women in their factories, the rise of the urban landscape, and the changing demands of customers. In Chicago, Henley manufactured elegant luxury cars for families, and in Charleston, they made trucks and utility vehicles. The strong Henley engine combined with the attractive, yet sturdy chassis made their light trucks the most popular offering over the years.

In the public eye, Henley Automotive was always first and foremost a family company. Unlike some enterprises, which passed the company over to hired execs after a time so that they could go into a sort of mass retirement, the Henleys stringently demanded that their company always stay in family hands. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that it was started up by brothers, or that the two bloodlines (the Chicago Henleys and the Charleston Henleys) always stayed close. Either way, a Henley has always been on the board of executives at all times, if not the president himself.

Being a family company lent itself to a certain image that also had to be maintained, a little moreso for the Charleston Henleys than the Chicago Henleys. The first floor of the Charleston headquarters was opened to the public in the 1970s, and it included a gallery of past company achievements. A restored No. Four can be found there, as well as pictures of various factories and events, especially World War II, items from the family's private collection of antiques, and a gallery of pictures of select Henleys who had been company president at some time. Every Christmas, the family and some of their close friends gathered there to celebrate another year together. They were not afraid of publicity, thinking that transparency, or the illusion of it at least, was the best statement a family company could make. In truth, they lost sight of the true purpose of this over time, and became just as much a product as their cars.

Roger Henley was just one of these sorts, with a pristine public face and a self-written ticket to new heights. He is a Charleston Henley and the current president of the company. He married his only wife, Amanda, in a carefully contemplated (rather, pretty much arranged) affair. There was no pre-nup, because they knew they could never have a divorce, no matter what happened. Amanda stayed home while Roger went to work, they went to church every Sunday, played tennis every Tuesday lunch, visited the Hamptons and Palm Beach every summer, and bore three delightful children into their antiquarian lives. Laura and Rachel came first, and then the apple of Roger's eye, James. Roger and James had a special relationship right away. The child was spoiled by his father, given all the attention and affection anyone could ask for. Roger taught James how to hunt and ride horses on their private land, they fished and sailed off the Isle of Palms, and frequently visited the company headquarters together. James learned of his family history as a sort of fairy tale, and saw his father as a hero. So did the rest of the family, as throughout the 90s Henley SUVs enjoyed incredible popularity.

Carefully-selected Christian boarding schools were the order of things when James got older. He delighted in seeing the world without really knowing that he was being fed a certain way of seeing it. No one at these schools talked about family problems or independence issues, and James assumed as a child that this was how it was for everyone. People who had problems, when he heard of them, were serious business and something to stay away from. A deep prejudice seeped in, one in which the wealthy and prosperous were on top, and everyone else, including new money, were... regrettable.

He was increasingly aware of a different world from his own as he grew older, when he began to grasp television a little better and went to a certain boarding school that was a little more lax than others. Among the students was more new money than he was used to, and a few old money kids who were more open about their problems. It was a bit of a culture shock, to say the least, but a new money kid named Alan Achille, on the fringe in his own right because he was African-American, befriended him and opened him up. He learned a great deal through the rest of middle school and high school.

The final nail in the coffin of his old beliefs came when in the late 2000s the market took a steep turn for the worst. Oil prices skyrocketed, and simultaneously the sale of Henley trucks screeched to a halt. They were amongst those pointed out for having terrible gas mileage and thus lost most of their demand. Dealerships were heavily flooded with product they just couldn't move, and the company was choking on trying to turn it all into something that would sell again. They couldn't respond nearly fast enough, even by canceling half their truck and SUV lines. It seemed like every process was bleeding money. Employee benefits tanked, causing strikes Roger tried to put a cork on by involving the police. Factories were closed, destroying several thousand jobs. Next came company assets, swiftly sold off to try to make up the difference, and finally personal assets were all funneled into the black hole that was a looming bankruptcy. Vacation homes were sold and trust funds dissolved. Collections and valuables disappeared. Roger and Amanda fought intensely behind closed doors. Life suddenly became very austere.

It was the spring before James's graduation when he confronted his father about why this was happening. Why, if he had always been so observant, so compassionate to the needs of people, had he failed to see any of this coming? Why hadn't he set up a failsafe? Why did he fill James's head with all this crap if he wasn't going to follow up on it? Severely disillusioned, and in the heat of an intense screaming match, James told Roger that he was going to join the military, and he'd tell everyone about it, too. He'd especially tell them why. Because his father was a fat bureaucrat like any other. Because he lied.

Roger put on a tragic face for his son's fury, and revealed to him that he had one last nice thing left. If James would come to help the company someday, he could still have the last bit of money left saved for him -- his college fund. He could go to his old dad's alma mater, and he hoped he would enjoy it, just in case he was the last Henley ever to go there. For now, Roger would use all the resources he could to make order of the chaos, but one day... James and Dad could sit at the head of Henley Automotive together. Shocked by this unexpected answer, James accepted without thinking.

Ainsworth, and the surrounding town of Perthshire, were mostly just what James expected -- the sort of opulence his family was on the verge of not being able to afford anymore. He could suddenly see why his father wanted to send him there, aside from several other Henleys having attended. It would remind him of what they stood to lose, should their enterprise fall, and the peers that would be watching their every move for signs of weakness. It'd be a short trip from "unfortunate" to "removed from the list," and it was apparent as well that Roger was hoping for James to make a good impression. Perhaps quiet some of the rumors with some sort of flippancy. No, nothing is wrong here. Don't be silly. Let's have another drink. Clearly, the next Henley appearing at Ainsworth right on time should quell any concerns that the Henleys weren't going to make it.

Feeling rather betrayed, James was fairly quiet through his first year of college. He had a lot to think about, after having discovered that his father was, in fact, capable of lies and deceit like anyone else of his class, unlike the hero he had been to James in his childhood. James majored in business, as expected, and created as few waves as possible. He didn't do anything stupid, like fail or refuse to socialize, but he didn't go for any great success either. Nor did he tell anyone about his secret interest in joining the military. After some cooling off that year, he became a little more comfortable and went out for a few things, namely respect in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity (name Apollo), and joined the equestrian club. He had always found the sport very soothing, and got himself up to vice-captain. Doing things that he liked, rather than falling back on responsibilities, opened up his mind yet further. He recently went out on a bit of a limb. Toward the end of last year, he joined the newspaper as a staff writer, keeping his profile low but working hard nonetheless. Telling the truth in all its shades was a great catharsis. It gave him a shy interest in English, which he has been exploring. Finding a 'writer's voice' has taken up a lot of his passion, though he rarely lets anyone but professors read his work.

To the present, Roger and James haven't spoken much, and James declined to go home during summer. He still keeps up his father's front, but is growing a little more reckless as time passes. He's becoming a little too fond of his independence.

EXTRA:
- James was raised to be Christian, and attended a Lutheran church for most of his life. Of late, he's beginning to drift away.