Calibrations

New Jersey 2002

Two days later, after his band was done recording, Gerard took a trip to his local comic book shop. He browsed through the new arrivals and talked to the owner for a while, and after all of that was over, he collapsed into his favorite reading chair with one of his favorite comics. He'd read it a hundred times before, but it never got old. Soon, he was lost in thought, completely unaware of everything that was going on around him.

"I thought I might find you here," Frank said, and Gerard snapped back into reality. He looked up from the comic book, and when he saw Frank standing right in front of him, he wondered how he hadn't noticed him earlier. "You looked like you were really into that comic," Frank said. "What were you reading?"

"Sandman," Gerard answered. "It's one of my favorites."

"I've never read it," Frank said.

"I think you'd like it a lot." Gerard paused and then asked, "Anyways, how are things going?"

"I'm okay, given the circumstances."

"What happened?"

"Pencey Prep broke up."

Frank tried his best not to sound too upset about it, but Gerard saw right through his act. "I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Frank said. "We all kind of knew it would happen eventually. I just didn't think it would be over so soon."

"How did it happen?"

"We all met up yesterday, and Neil said that he was leaving the band. Then, John quit too, and Shaun said that we couldn't play without a guitarist and bassist, so it was better just to break up." Frank sighed and then added, "I don't know where to go from here. I started that band when I was seventeen, and it was such a huge part of my identity. I was always 'the guy from Pencey Prep,' and now, that's all over."

"You could always join a new band," Gerard suggested.

"I thought about that, but most of the bands around here already have guitarists, and I'm not going to do what Mikey did and switch instruments. Maybe I'm just going to have to go back to school and get a real job."

"Playing the guitar is a real job, and you're amazing at it. I think you'll find another band eventually."

"Thanks, Gerard," Frank said, but he didn't sound too convinced. "Make sure to let me know if you find out about any open guitar slots."

"Of course," Gerard said.

Frank left the comic shop, and as he walked away, Gerard had an idea. It was a simple, elegant solution, one that could fix everything, not just for Frank, but for MCR too. All he had to do was ask his bandmates if Frank could join My Chemical Romance.

Gerard finished the comic book and put it back on the shelf, and as he walked home, he weighed the pros and cons of talking to the rest of the band about letting Frank join. My Chemical Romance was a democracy, not a dictatorship, after all. They would have to make this decision together. Mikey and Matt would probably be fine with it, but Gerard worried about Ray. He didn't want Ray to think that he wanted to replace him, because that wasn't what he wanted at all. Ray was a brilliant guitar player, the best one he knew, but the band needed a fuller sound, and they could make that happen if they had a second guitarist. He only hoped that Ray would see that.

He could hardly sleep that night, between the pain in his mouth and his worries about what would happen the next day. He tossed and turned, playing through different scenarios in his mind. More than anything, he hoped that his bandmates would say yes. He loved the idea of having Frank in the band, playing next to him every night, creating something beautiful with him, and he was so close to finally making that dream a reality.