Stripped Bare

Not what they think I am...

Dante shoved past Teresa but she was having none of it. She grabbed him by the forearm and refused to let go. He was in no mood to discuss this with her...certainly not in front of everyone.

The last thing he needed was to blow things out of proportion and get into trouble. He wanted to graduate. He wanted to finally do something right in his life. If word got out that he was moonlighting as a stripper among other things, it could get him expelled.

He simply did not want to risk this. He had been working too hard and saving up so that he could have a better chance at life and no one was going to spoil it for him, certainly not her.

"Please, let go of me NOW" he whispered, turning sharply towards her, pulling her close so only she could hear. He then wrenched his arm free from her grasp. "We will talk about this...but not here and certainly not now" he said abruptly.

He quietly nodded to Tommy, turned on his heel and left the lecture hall, his heart thumping madly out of anger and anxiety. He began to feel like a victim. He'd had enough of that...having been physically abused at the hands of his foster-father from the time he turned five.

When he ran away from home, he began turning tricks, allowing his body to be used just to secure food and lodging at night. All these sad memories had been constant torture and a painful reminder of everything he'd been through.

But he was determined to move past all of that. He was so grateful to the man who took him in: a retired police officer who was more like the father he wished he had.

This was a man who taught him everything, to be the man he was today, and he was honored to have known him and proud to call him 'dad'.

He slipped outdoors to a secluded spot between the Library and the Science Building. He was suddenly feeling anxious to the point of tears that he felt that his entire body was trembling.

He curled his fists tightly and faced the wall with the intention of letting his frustrations out onto it. The cool, soave exterior that was Dante the stripper was melting. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Instead, he leaned against the wall and sank down to the ground hugging his knees.

He pulled off his glasses and wiped his eyes angrily with his hands. He could feel the hotness of his tears smearing his cheeks.

Strange that he should be even feeling this way. He would have to get another appointment with the head shrink at the precinct to clear his mind of the emotional upheavals he suffers whenever he was on a case. He could not allow anyone or anything to affect him emotionally or mentally.

He could not let anyone see him like this. Ever. He mustered all the strength he had and went to the washroom to scrub his face. He ran his hands through his hair with his long fingers and looked at himself in the mirror.

It was as if he was looking at a stranger. He no longer recognized the person staring him in the face. He suddenly thought he was seeing things as the person looking back was not his reflection but one of his alter egos...Dante the stripper winking back at him, dressed only in a black sequinned thong.

Then he looked again. This time it was Dante the rookie cop, complete with uniform looking as fresh as the day he graduated from the academy...such a proud moment for him, although saddened by the fact that his dad didn't live long enough to see it happen.

He came out of the washroom in a daze. He had to have a clear mind if he was going to face this wily female again. He was going to tell her truthfully in the hopes that she would keep quiet, even if he had to pay the price to do so, and that usually meant giving into her every whim if necessary just to shut her up.

"Dante, where the heck have you been?" Tommy came towards him slowly, confused by the look on Dante's face.

"Are you OK?" Tommy's eyes widened, as a look of concern for his best friend shadowed his face.

Dante did not speak but just shook his head. Tommy sensed that something was wrong but he did not press Dante for answers. Instead, he steered him towards the cafeteria.

It was lunchtime and he just thought that a hot meal could perhaps shake Dante out of his stupor. As soon as Dante entered the cafeteria, he became conscious of the other students staring at him again, making him feel even more vulnerable than ever before.

'None of this should even affect me! Why now?' He thought quietly to himself. He stared down at his hands. They were shaking. He placed them in his lap, hoping no one noticed.

He began to wonder just how far Teresa would go to reveal his secret to the others. He was also worried that all his dreams would actually crumble if he was to be expelled. He would be back to square one on his investigations, all because of a girl named 'Teresa'.

He tried to dispel these fears and even managed a little smile when Tommy cracked a joke to lighten things up. He sat down at one of the larger tables while Tommy went to pick up their order. He was aware of other people sitting a few seats down from him at the same table, staring and whispering quietly amongst themselves.

He suddenly heard a familiar voice - it was hers. "Hey Dante...there you are...Now to continue our conversation..." she grinned slyly at him, as she sauntered towards him.

"Don't...Just don't ask me about it...I can't really explain, okay?" He mumbled, staring at the floor. He hated being cornered like this. The last thing he needed was to bring attention to himself, and she was doing just that.

"Oh, come on, it's not that hard. A hot guy like yourself acting all shy. Cut the act, Dante. You're not fooling anyone here. I for one know what you really are..." she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips.

Dante felt his temper about to boil over. Either that or he was about to implode. "Stop it...just stop...What the fuck do you want me to say?" He got up and walked away just as Tommy came back with two trays of food.

"Dante, where are you going?" Tommy called out to him. "Dante, what's going on?"