Stripped Bare

I am a mystery...

A/N: After suffering such humiliation with those women, all Dante wanted to do was to hide...

He just wanted it to be over.

Later that evening when the party was done, it was evident that some of the women were too drunk and some had even passed out on the floor and had to be helped out of the room by the bouncers of the club.

Dante had no appetite at all for food even though he had not had any dinner beforehand. The whole incident had left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wanted to get back to his room on campus, and literally crawl into his bed.

He was too tired to care about anything...He quickly showered, changed and left the premises in a hurry, not wishing to speak with anyone, let alone Alex. When he got back to campus, he found it strange that Tommy was not in yet.

He took another quick shower, washing all the stench of bodily fluids and the pain of the evening's onslaught away and then he went to his bed. As his eyelids started to feel heavy, he recalled the conversation that his schoolmates had with him a few days before about male strippers and sexual orgies going hand-in-hand.

There was enough evidence of it all over the internet...

He suddenly felt sick to his stomach...tonight was no different except...that it happened to him...The very next day he forced himself out of bed to get ready for school and still Tommy had not returned.

He sensed that something was very wrong but could not put his finger on it. He got into school and was notified immediately that both Tommy and Teresa had been involved in a car accident with a black Volvo on their way back to campus and had been admitted into hospital.

Dante got on his motorbike and sped off towards the city's general hospital. Dante never had any real friends until he met Tommy. The very thought of losing his buddy felt like he was going to lose his mind. A very somber Dante entered the hospital and was led by the nurse to Tommy's room.

"Hey buddy...how are you feeling? I came as soon as I heard..." Dante's eyes roamed his best bud's face.

Tommy's right arm and leg were in a cast while his body was covered in bruises and scratches. His face was slightly swollen but he stilled managed to crack a small smile upon seeing Dante.

"Could be better..." Tommy joked.

"Teresa..." Dante asked.

Tommy lifted his left hand slowly and pointed to the adjacent room.

"I'll go and check on her. I'll be right back" Dante grasped Tommy's left hand then let go.

Teresa was lying there, propped up on a few pillows sipping a cold drink out of a cup with the aid of a straw. Teresa's parents were right there, smiling as they saw Dante enter the room.

"Hey sweetie...you ok?" Dante gently reached out his hand and softly rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"Yeah..." she spoke up, leaning her cheek into his hand...tears formed out of the corners of her eyes.

"Hey hey...don't be like that. You're both going to be just fine...did they catch the son-of-a-bitch who rammed into you?" He sat by the bed.

"No..." her face looked crestfallen.

"Don't worry...I'm sure they'll catch them soon" he tried to reassure her.

But Teresa just shook her head and started to cry. Dante did not want to upset her further by dwelling on the subject so he gently placed a kiss on her forehead and left her and went back to Tommy's room. Tommy went on to explain that the crash was very strange as it was more like they were being followed relentlessly by this mysterious black Volvo...