Gerard Way, Help...

Black studded belts, side bangs, and winged liner did NOT die out after 2014.

Well, at least in my case they didn't for a bit.

Even as an 18 year old, I would make trips to Hot Topic to find some stale band shirts to keep the flame of pop punk alive. Everyone knew I couldn't give up listening to the vocals of Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance JUST BECAUSE I was becoming an adult.

Naturally, his music was everything I was looking for. It was grim, unusual, and a source of comfort for the bad days.

Yeah I know, I was still not out of that classic combination of the emo-goth-Warped Tour phase. Suprisingly, this information isn't the embarrassing chunk of the story.

Now, may I present to you....

The Embarrassing Roommate Incident

Living in Chicago, I was set on transferring from DePaul to UIC in the winter of 2016. My previous roommates already witnessed the embarrassing amount of band posters I had pinned on my wall in the old room. Whoever I would get next would be subject to my cringey obsession with all things alternative.

Facing this drastic change in pace, I had a lot to adjust to. I was getting a whole new roommate, a new routine, and a whole new school. Because I would still be in a shared living space, I couldn't just belt out MCR lyrics out of nowhere in respect for my roommate.

Thankfully, my roommate and I were pretty alike. Even though we weren't on best friend status, we both had introverted personalities. Every time we were in the room together, it was mostly silent to not disturb the other person.

Ugh...now for the part I hate to think about. There was a deviation in this streak of keeping a calm environment.

One day in the spring semester, I had just arrived back from class. I made my way up the stairs to our dorm room, feeling extra tired from the days work. After I cracked open the door, set down my things, and took a look around...I noticed something unsual.

To my utter amazement, the room was empty!

Now this NEVER happened. My roommate was always on her bed or at her desk, quietly doing work or watching Netflix. There was never EVER an incident in which she was gone due to our differing class schedules.

I was given a gift of freedom!

When I am able to be by myself, I usually end up talking out loud about my to-do lists or just random things that come to mind. During this rare occassion, I began having a whole conversation with myself. This continued for quite some time, as I was moving around the room and folding my laundry.

Since I wasn't sure what time my roommate was coming back, I treasured every moment of pure solace. I had an unknown amount of time to relish in the privacy. While doing my chores, I put on another Youtube playlist full of MCR songs.

It started to get pretttyyyy wild in there, of course.

I was dancing around, singing to the lyrics, and having a great time! Nothing could stop me from having fun, unless I heard the door unlock.

I got to a particular part of a song, and started happily singing out the lyrics in the worst voice ever. I can't sing to save my life, but I was really getting into it. But, as I was spinning and throwing myself a private concert, I noticed something strange.

On my roommates bed, there was a bump.

I thought to myself: "What in the...hold up, wait.. is that bump..my roommate??"

To my absolute horror, I wasn't alone after all.

My roommate was there the WHOLE TIME. She was buried under her comforter attempting to sleep. Connecting the dots, I realized that everything I said out loud was not done in solitude. Since she was pretty thin, she didn't take up much space under the covers enough for me to notice before this circus act began in the first place.

This entire situation made my face turn pale.

Not knowing how to continue, I turned down the music and decided to shamfeully shuffle over to the lump across the room.

"Uh...Sarah..?"

She moved and emerged from the covers, still half asleep but smiling at how awkward the situation had become.

"Did you hear...all that...omg I am so sorry"

Right after I said this, Sarah started laughing. She said she heard some of it, but tried going back to sleep. Since we are both ridiculously shy, she didn't want to ruin my mood or interrupt. Basically, I made myself look like a nutcase.

The moral of the story is: ALWAYS CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMPLETELY ALONE BEFORE SINGING ALONG TO MCR OR HAVING LONG CONVERSATIONS WITH YOURSELF.