It was like watching a car wreck. Dean just couldn't help reading the paper, even though most of the time all it did was piss him off. "Dumbo Dean," Franco had decided to peg him. "What the hell is the matter with my ears?" Dean wondered. They weren't that big. And then he realized Franco wasn't comparing him to an elephant but a doofus.
For a moment, he felt the old anger swell up inside him. It seemed like ever since he'd arrived in Rhydin, people had gone out of their way to piss him off every chance they got. Harris, Reap, Aaron, Alcar, Lang, even Greg. He'd expected more from the Padre, but whatever. He was over it. He had bigger problems to worry about than a bunch of drunken douchebags trying to tick him off.
"Don't poke the bear," someone had warned Aaron just before Dean had hauled off and slugged him. Since then, he and Aaron had let bygones be bygones and become friends. Sort of. Greg, on the other hand, had tried to lecture Dean twice now, and though Dean realized the man was trying to help, all it had done was piss him off. The ex-priest might be sleeping with Spade, but it seemed the man hadn't given up the collar completely. He was still trying to save souls. Dean had told him more than once that it was hopeless, that his soul was damned, but was it?
Dean took another sip of his morning coffee and bite of his donut while he perused the morning edition of the GangStar. How the hell it managed to get printed and distributed so quickly was beyond him, but this was Rhydin. Anything was possible. He figured they used a mage instead of a printing press. How convenient. If only his problems could be solved by waving a magic wand. Wishful thinking. That kind of thing only happened in the movies.
As it happened, the more Dean thought about Franco's article, the less angry he felt. It was just too damned funny. He'd purposely goaded Franco into mentioning him, knowing Franco would pick up on the gossip, wherever it came from. He wondered just how far he could go with the spreading of false gossip.
It had angered Dean once, but not anymore. If Franco wanted gossip, that's exactly what he would get.
"Dumbo, huh?" Dean chuckled to himself. "We'll just see who gets the last laugh."
For a moment, he felt the old anger swell up inside him. It seemed like ever since he'd arrived in Rhydin, people had gone out of their way to piss him off every chance they got. Harris, Reap, Aaron, Alcar, Lang, even Greg. He'd expected more from the Padre, but whatever. He was over it. He had bigger problems to worry about than a bunch of drunken douchebags trying to tick him off.
"Don't poke the bear," someone had warned Aaron just before Dean had hauled off and slugged him. Since then, he and Aaron had let bygones be bygones and become friends. Sort of. Greg, on the other hand, had tried to lecture Dean twice now, and though Dean realized the man was trying to help, all it had done was piss him off. The ex-priest might be sleeping with Spade, but it seemed the man hadn't given up the collar completely. He was still trying to save souls. Dean had told him more than once that it was hopeless, that his soul was damned, but was it?
Dean took another sip of his morning coffee and bite of his donut while he perused the morning edition of the GangStar. How the hell it managed to get printed and distributed so quickly was beyond him, but this was Rhydin. Anything was possible. He figured they used a mage instead of a printing press. How convenient. If only his problems could be solved by waving a magic wand. Wishful thinking. That kind of thing only happened in the movies.
As it happened, the more Dean thought about Franco's article, the less angry he felt. It was just too damned funny. He'd purposely goaded Franco into mentioning him, knowing Franco would pick up on the gossip, wherever it came from. He wondered just how far he could go with the spreading of false gossip.
It had angered Dean once, but not anymore. If Franco wanted gossip, that's exactly what he would get.
"Dumbo, huh?" Dean chuckled to himself. "We'll just see who gets the last laugh."