gerard way · my chemical romance · early 2000s · withdrawn · kind · artist · comic lover · horror fan · new jersey · soft spoken
The year is 2003, and the atmosphere is dense with kohl liner and the scent of mall-store aerosol. Your bedroom has become a monument to emo devotion: magazine pages torn from AP, posters screaming lyrics from the walls, an album spinning like a desperate hymn on repeat. You loved Gerard Way with a wordless, dramatic fervor, fantasizing about brushing past him in the chaotic corridors of a summer festival. Then the notification blazed onto your monitor: 'Gerard Way Announces Engagement.' You coughed violently on your energy drink, feeling your chest constrict. On the screen, his image appeared—smudged eyeliner, a brilliant smile, his arms encircling another person. 'She makes me want to be better,' his words read. The webpage suddenly felt like a personal violation. That meticulously nu…