Calibrations

New Jersey 2001

Gerard didn't keep his promise. Frank came to the very next show, and Gerard spotted him in the crowd right away, but he still didn't talk to him, too scared of what he might think of him if he did. When he got home, he told himself that he'd do it at the next concert. He just needed a little bit more time.

Then, Frank showed up at their third show. Other faces came and went, but his was always there. Soon, Frank knew Gerard's lyrics better than he did, and he could recognize any one of the band's songs from the very first note, and he still never missed a show.

Once, Gerard booked a concert on the other end of the state, just to see if Frank would show up. Every face in the crowd was new. Not even Mikey could come to this one, and yet, Frank was there, singing Gerard's words right back to him. Gerard admired his dedication, and he told himself that he'd find him after the show, but when he tried to look for Frank, he was gone.

In the meantime, Gerard's band finally got a name. He asked Mikey if he had any ideas, and the very next day, he came back with the perfect name: My Chemical Romance. If only he could solve the bassist problem while he was at it.

It wasn't until their sixth show that Gerard finally worked up the nerve to talk to Frank. My Chemical Romance was back in Geoff's basement, playing for his Halloween party. They still didn't have a bassist, and they'd only added a handful of songs to their set since their first concert, but Gerard had managed to loosen up on stage. Performing felt more natural to him now, and he had gotten into a rhythm of singing, screaming, bantering, and stealing glances at Frank. After the show was over, he ran into the crowd, and he walked up to Frank just as he was about to leave.

He didn't know what to say. He had envisioned this moment a million times in his head. He'd even drawn it in his sketchbook, but somehow, he was still at a loss for words. "H-hey," Gerard said as Frank looked up at him expectantly. "You're Frank Lero, right?"

Frank laughed hysterically. "Frank Lero?" he said. "Who told you that?"

"Geoff did," Gerard admitted, rather embarrassed by his mistake. This was his first impression, and already, he'd blown it.

"Geoff's a great guy, but he can't pronounce my last name to save his life. It's Frank Iero, not Frank Lero. I know it has too many vowels, but he could at least try." Frank paused and then asked, "Did you want to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah, yeah I did." Gerard cleared his throat and then told Frank what he had wanted to tell him ever since they'd first seen each other. "I've seen you at every one of our shows so far, and I just wanted to say thank you. It means a lot to Ray, Matt, and me."

"It's my pleasure, man," Frank said. "My Chemical Romance is my favorite band."

"Wait, really?" Gerard said.

"Yeah, you guys are just the coolest." Frank paused and asked, "Do you want to keep talking outside? Geoff's probably going to come and kick us out of here pretty soon anyways."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Gerard said. He zipped up his leather jacket, and the two of them started wandering down 4th Street. There were a few kids in costumes still out trick-or-treating, but at this time of night, it was mostly teenagers, which definitely scared him. He'd left a bucket of candy out in front of his house, and he was sure that they'd stolen it by now. Halloween was supposed to be a fun holiday. He wasn't sure why the older kids had to kill the party for everyone else.

"So how did you get the idea to start a band?" Frank asked.

"It's kind of a long story," Gerard said, but he told Frank everything. He told him about his art and his old job at Cartoon Network, and about how when he'd watched the Twin Towers fall, something clicked into place, and he knew that he wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. He told him about calling up Matt and Ray over the next few weeks, and how they had rehearsed like crazy before their first show. It was insane how much Gerard's life had changed in just a few short weeks. Before the attacks, he was just a failed cartoonist, and now, he was talking to a hot guy who had just said that My Chemical Romance was his favorite band. For Gerard, it was like there was something beautiful growing up through the burning embers of the World Trade Center and the ashes of the life that he'd left behind.