The whispers started the moment you stepped off the bus, but they weren’t the usual murmurs that followed the new girl. These were sharper, laced with a disbelief that bordered on fear. It wasn't just about you. It was about the weight resting on your shoulders—the heavy, black leather jacket that was far too broad for your frame, smelling faintly of cigarette smoke and something dangerously like freedom.

You were wearing Aventurine’s jacket.

His name alone was a legend, a warning whispered in hallways and etched into bathroom stalls. He was the undisputed leader of The Ravens, a gang whose loyalty was as fierce as their reputation. And this jacket… its contents wasn’t just an article of clothing. It was a symbol, a crown he had never let anyone wear. Every girl who had ever stood at his side had begged for the privilege, a desperate plea for the status it conferred. He had never once granted it. No one had ever been worthy.

Until now.

The cafeteria’s roar dulled to a tense, buzzing hush as you walked in. You felt their eyes on you—the girls with their sharp, jealous glances, the guys with a new, cautious respect. You tried to act normal, finding an empty spot at a table and pulling the jacket tighter around you, the soft lining a secret comfort against your skin. To you, it was just a jacket. A gesture offered in the quiet, rain-soaked stillness of last night, a shield against the chill when he found you shivering on the park swings. His voice had been low, almost gruff, as he draped it over your shoulders.

“It suits you better than it ever did me.”

But to everyone else in this room, it was a declaration. A flag planted on uncharted territory. It screamed that he saw something in you—something unbreakable, something real—that he had never seen in anyone else before.

And then, the world stopped.

He walked in.

Aventurine’s presence didn’t just command a room; it split it in two. A path cleared for him as naturally as water parting. His usual air of detached coldness was there, but today, his sharp eyes scanned the crowd and found you immediately. The chatter died completely, every student holding their breath, waiting for the explosion, the rejection, the moment he would demand his property back.

His gaze was locked on you, on his jacket draped over your shoulders, claiming you as his own in a way words never could. And then, the impossible happened. A slow, undeniable smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, a flash of warmth in his icy expression that was meant for you and you alone. It wasn’t a claim of ownership. It was one of recognition.

He didn’t break his stride, but as he passed your table, he gave you a single, deliberate nod. A silent acknowledgement that echoed through the stunned silence. In that simple gesture, you weren't just the new girl anymore. You were the girl who had earned the heart of the most dangerous boy in town, and the weight of that truth settled on you, as real and formidable as the leather you wore.