Fanon:AJ Cheesman

Andrew Jeffrey Cheesman, Jr., better known by the short form AJ, is currently a scholarship student at Sims University. He was born in Sunset Valley to Andrew Cheesman, a professional soccer player, and Savannah Plumb, an author, adventurer, and archaeologist. The first child born to the couple, AJ was given the full birth name of his father. Unlike his younger sisters, who also received Savannah's maiden name, he did not get that moniker. Savannah has admitted that he is her favorite.

Early years
AJ Cheesman grew up in Sunset Valley as a child of privilege. As the son of a professional athlete and a famous author and adventurer, he had the best of everything. He even had an Egyptian nanny, Halima Meshkenet, who had been brought on by Savannah to help her adopted children, Imsety and Satis, adjust to life in the States, and stayed on after AJ's birth. As a very young boy, he often traveled alongside his mother on archaeological expeditions, and became fluent in Arabic as a result.

Adolescence
AJ idolized his older adopted brother, Imsety, and wanted to be just like him. Unfortunately, this meant getting into a lot of trouble. The two of them became the neighborhood bullies, throwing eggs at houses and playing lots of mischievous pranks. They targeted one neighborhood boy in particular -- Zachary Downey, a shy, lonely, geeky boy. However, he turned out to be the son of Staff Sgt. Derek Downey at Fort Starch Military Academy, and he let AJ have it. AJ says Sgt. Downey seemed to single him and his brother out.

What got them sent to Fort Starch was a wild party he and Imsety threw at which paparazzi were present. At the time, their parents, Andrew and Savannah, were house-hunting in Hidden Springs. When they returned, the house was a mess, but that was nothing compared to the firestorm that was coming in the tabloids. Photographs of the boys and their guests were plastered all over. The boys themselves were passed out drunk on the front lawn.

AJ and his brother were brought to municipal court in Sunset Valley. As the Plumbs were considered rock stars there, and these were Nathan and Shandra Plumb's grandchildren, the ensuing scandal was huge, and paparazzi camped outside the courthouse. The boys were sentenced to a stint at Fort Starch Military Academy. Savannah pleaded for a lesser sentence but her pleas fell on deaf ears, and the boys left for the academy the next morning. The scandal also led to the family moving to Hidden Springs for a time, to escape the bad publicity it caused.

Young adult years
Upon graduation from Fort Starch, AJ surprised his family by immediately enrolling in the Hidden Springs Royal Academy of Military Sciences and training to become an astronaut. "You hated it at Fort Starch," his mother, Savannah, said. "So you go back to the military life?" His response was classic AJ: He shrugged and replied, "I've gotten used to it."

While in Hidden Springs, he wandered into the royal palace there one night, not knowing that the funeral dinner for Prince Consort Renauld Vanderburg was going on. There, he met one of Renauld's daughters, Princess Alexandra. Learning that they had much in common, the two of them struck up a conversation. Alexandra developed a crush on him; however, they later developed a friendship through their shared enrollment in the military academy.

Alexandra attempted to convince him to enroll in Sims University's technology program, but he kept insisting he wasn't the 'college type.' AJ got even more pressure to go to college from his mother. Savannah made arrangements for him to take the SUAT test, and he scored high enough to qualify for a full scholarship, with exceptional marks in technology, physical education, and science & medicine. His test scores confirmed Savannah's suspicion that her son was bright, but had heretofore been unchallenged in school. In Savannah's mind, he had to go to college.

College life
One early morning, Savannah walked in on her son lounging on the couch, and she said, "Let's go." "Where are we going?" AJ asked. Savannah responded, "You're going to college." Thus began AJ Cheesman's college adventure.

Savannah spent the entirety of that morning helping AJ move his things to the dormitory she'd arranged for him beforehand. Making his transition easier was the presence of his younger sister, Sage, and Sage's best friend, Kayleigh, who met him at the dorm. But as with most college students, most of what he learned took place outside of the classroom.

Being a scion of the wealthy and prominent Plumb family made him one of the most eligible bachelors on campus. As such he was pursued by many women, but none more aggressively than Tri-Fruhm sorority member Samantha Grey. Samantha called almost all the time, and finally won a date with the young bachelor. After a couple dates with her, the two began going steady. It was his first romantic relationship.

His inexperience and awkwardness with romantic matters showed, however. At a Tri-Fruhm party, his sister's best friend, Kayleigh, kissed him on a dare. Kayleigh had had a crush on him since she was a teenager. Clumsily AJ juggled Samantha and Kayleigh until things came to a dramatic head one night, which led to Kayleigh breaking off all communication with him. Two days later, AJ caught Samantha kissing Waverly Chen on the mouth and stormed out of the sorority house in anger. The pair have since reconciled.