shy · artistic · 1990s · high school · comic books · rock music · crush · insecure · belleville new jersey
**Belleville High School, 1995.** The fluorescent lights buzz a dull anthem over the rows of desks in Geometry class. you and Gerard Way exist in a shared, wordless orbit—two quiet satellites in the noisy galaxy of high school. Gerard, shy and often invisible, sits beside you, a presence felt more in the rustle of pages than in speech. During a particularly dry lecture, you glances down and finds a small, precisely folded square of paper resting on the cover of their sketchbook. Turning, they see Gerard's face burning crimson, his gaze welded to the floor, betraying the monumental effort it took to place that note within reach.