James' talkative and friendly nature has made way for a series of relationships.
Relatives
Deborah
Deborah is James' mom who he clearly loves, even if he is at times frustrated with her continuous doting.
Enzo
James deeply cares for Enzo, even entertaining the idea of his shabby shop for the sake of making him happy.[1]
Kathy
Kathy is James' aunt, whom he is quite fond of. He regularly visits her house and spends time with her.
Piper
Of his three sisters, James appears closest to Piper. As her older brother, he is readily present to give her advice and deeply cares for her, even flying all the way back from London because Piper begins crying during a video chat.[2] James is also extremely supportive of Piper, commending her on her role as dance captain and on her organization of the dance-a-thon.[3]
Unnamed father
While James is never heard speaking of or two his dad, he is allegedly a lot like him.[4]
Unnamed sisters
Other than Piper, James has two other sisters. Not much is known of them nor James' relationship with them, although he has cited their influence as the reason for him knowing so much about women.[5]
Friends
Eldon
James meets Eldon shortly after joining Baby Ballet and he eventually becomes James' best friend.
Although he is sometimes frustrated with Eldon, James is often integral in Eldon's exploits, regularly grants him advice, and is incredibly loyal to him.
Hunter
James comes to despise Hunter, due to him wronging Eldon. James remains wary of Hunter even after Eldon decidedly forgives him, sometimes uprightly insulting him in his dislike.[6] Although, James eventually jumps at Hunter's offer of helping him break up with Beth, after which Hunter becomes one of his best friends.[7]
Luke
Luke is the band mate James appears to be closest to.
Max
James becomes good friends with Max while on A-Troupe with him.
West
James' first few encounters with West involve West dancing in front of him without explanation which, although frustrating him, also intrigues him as well. James ultimately reaches his wits end and complies with the invitation to a dance battle, after which West becomes one of his best friends.[4]
Neutral
Alfie
James is initially indifferent to Alfie, seeing him as merely a dancer on A-Troupe. Although, this indifference spirals into hatred upon James' discovery that he is who Riley has been cheating on him with. James regularly argues with Alfie about his hatred for him, even hallucinating rapping a song in which he conveys this dislike.[8]
After James gets back together with Riley and Alfie deserts the team for Switzerland, James takes it upon himself to visit Alfie and attempt to convince him to compete at Regionals. Unlike previously, when James is barely able to remain calm in Alfie's presence, James appears far more sympathetic of him and tries to reason with him.[9]
While James is still far from Alfie's friend, he is at least civil toward him.
Ella
James' hatred for Ella stems from his belief that she is not a good friend to Riley especially since, according to him, she is changing her for the worse.[10] Although, James appears to be more accepting of her at Amanda's surprise party, admitting that he is warming up to her.[11]
When James meets Ella again, after her betrayal of A-Troupe,[12] James still appears wary of her. Nonetheless, James confides in her about his relationship issues with Riley, although this is probably more so due to desperation than sudden trust in Ella. James is grateful for her advice nonetheless, but is still left admitting that he will never truly understand her.[13]
Love interests
Amanda
James once dated Amanda at an unknown time.[14]
Beth
James dated Beth while he was on B-Troupe with her, but broke up with her once he entered A-Troupe.[15] James is painfully aware of Beth's lingering feeling for him, but no longer has feelings for her. He is taken aback by Beth's proclamation of love at Regionals, but ultimately thinks nothing of it.[16]
James agrees to be Beth's duet partner for a competition, leading to her kissing him even though he is in a relationship with Riley.[17] James does not pull away,[17] but genuinely deems the kiss as meaningless.[18] Although, James is receptive to Beth's comfort after Riley breaks up with him[18] and eventually initiates a romantic relationship with her. While enjoyable at first, James quickly realizes that being with Beth is extremely annoying and makes many failed attempts to break up with her. With Hunter's help, James finally gets Beth off of his back, much to his relief.[7]
Riley
James is intrigued by Riley's lack of interest in him, deeming it a "kryptonite" that he "dig[s]."[5] James tries to spend time with Riley, despite her frequent objections, and eventually falls in love with her.[19]
James is thrilled by Riley's proposition of a date if he gets a 70% on his upcoming math test[20] and, after scoring a B+, takes her up on the offer. He elaborately decorates Studio A, seeing as it was where he first met Riley, and ends the night by dancing with and kissing her.[21] James is ecstatic to hear that Riley wants to be his girlfriend.[22]
Deeming his kiss with Beth[17] meaningless, James does not tell Riley about it, unknowing that she witnessed it. James tries to apologize with a dance and subsequent speech, but is broken up with nonetheless, deeply hurting him.[18] James' subsequent relationship with Beth proves to dissatisfy him and he thus pursues the resumption of his relationship with Riley, ultimately proposing that she compile a list of tasks for him to complete. When James finishes the list, which includes breaking up with Beth,[7] he happily reunites with Riley.[23] Upon Riley eventually admitting that she loves him after their Nationals duet, he kisses her, momentarily forgetting at they are on a stage before thousands of people.[24]
While James is away in London, Riley has cheated on him with Alfie, unbeknowst to him. He makes the discovery when he returns to the studio, inciting a bout of rage.[25] Although, remembering that Riley forgave him for kissing Beth, James decidedly forgives her and agrees to give her time. He is devastated when Riley eventually breaks up with him.[26]
James misses Riley immensely, putting him in a prolonged state of overwhelming sadness. Amidst the final round of Bangers & Mashups International Hip-Hop Extravaganza, however, James is approached by Riley who attempts to apologize to him. James interrupts her apology with a kiss and rekindles his relationship with her.[27] He later gives Riley a promise ring, hoping to one day get her an even nicer engagement ring.[28]
References
- ↑ "I'm Your Captain." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Rumour Has It." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "12 Hour Party People." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Dance, Dance." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Just the Two of Us." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "The Truth Comes Out." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Heartbreaker." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Tainted Love." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Livin' on a Prayer." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Mixed Messages." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "It's My Party." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "When the War Is Over." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "It Ain't Easy." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Come Back... Be Here." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Everybody Dance Now." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Winner Takes All." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "It Takes Two." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "What'll I Do." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Road to Joy." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Changes." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "First Date." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "We Are Family." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Just Dance." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "I Don't Know." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Tainted Love." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "A Fool in Love." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Bold As Love." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on October 9, 2017.
- ↑ "A Change Is Gonna Come." The Next Step. Family Channel. Retrieved on Octobe r9, 2017.