Last semester and unemployed. At least Samantha's first class was from her favorite teacher and journalist: João Soares. She was excited, and she couldn't wait to take these classes, to see if she was excited about finishing college.

Samantha had been undecided and unhappy in her course for some time, but because she had the scholarship, she didn't give up. She just felt like she wanted to do something else. But she had no idea what, and she hoped, perhaps, that John would help her.

He was the most famous journalist in the state, a columnist for Jornal do Vale and was a reporter for the local station for a while, until he retired and started teaching at the University of the city, for the journalism course. Before all that, he was a psychologist and a lawyer.

Excitement was the only feeling Samantha had that day.

She was already ready for her first day of school, and was just waiting for Mari, her neighbor and best friend. They were in the same room, and they were looking forward to getting to college and starting the last semester.

-We will? – there was Mari, stunning with her expensive clothes and her hair with blond streaks. She put on her glasses and stopped in front of the elevator mirror. -This semester I will be Soares' favorite student, and I will get contacts in the newspaper.

She said excitedly, but Samantha thought about just getting any job. She needed to help her mother with the household bills or even move out of the house.
-We will? We need to sit up front to get "more" attention. - Samantha comments, ironically, and Mari runs away.

Sam looks in the mirror one last time and decides to let her hair down. They were long and straight, as always. With each passing day she was less excited about her course. She didn't fit in as much as Mari seemed to. Something was missing inside her, but she wasn't going to give up now. It was the last semester. And that was the thought I had.

Upon arriving at the college, they ignored the freshmen and hazing happening on campus, and went straight upstairs to the living room.

-I don't believe. – Mari says as soon as she arrives at the door and Samantha observes Daniel. -Shit, she sat in front and he always sits in the back. - She commented and Samantha hid her laughter. He wasn't the only one changing places in the room.

-Hello girls! - Alex appears in the hallway, attracting the gaze of many women passing by. He is Mari's twin brother, and her complete opposite. While Mari has blonde hair and brown eyes, Alex has brown hair and green eyes. He is taller, and she is Samantha's height.

The boy approaches the two, and Samantha hides the smile.

-Hi Alex. -Samantha hugs him, standing on tiptoe, and he reciprocates. The chill rises in her belly.

-I see he's in progress. - Alex comments, pointing to Daniel. -It may be that he is working on his interior and takes a course in academic life.

-All right, future psychologist, until the break. -Mari says and enters the room, sitting in a front desk, jumping one away from Daniel. Samantha was alone with him, and she didn't know if that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

- I'll be there, see you later. -Samantha says awkwardly and Alex holds her by the hand.

-Sam, this weekend I'm thinking of doing something. Would you go out with me?. -He invites her, who hides a smile.

Samantha was in love with him, but in the past he had hurt her. She tried to follow through, but he was always on her mind, which took a toll on her in a relationship she had entered. Alex tried to redeem herself, but she didn't know if it was to have the young woman there, available, or if it was because he reciprocated with the same feeling she had.

- I need to think Alex. -She replied and drew a smile from him. He knew she would say yes, otherwise she would say no, right off the bat. Samantha looked around the room and the only place close to her friend was between her and Daniel. Samantha said goodbye to Alex, and decided to sit there.

- My brother smiled at you. Again. -Mari said and Samantha began to take her case and notebook out of her bag. Every time Mari talked about her brother, Samantha remembered their past. They got involved for more than a year, but Alex said he wasn't prepared for something more serious, even though the two of them led a serious life. Samantha just decided to follow through, and ended it all, but it hurt. Is very. -Did he ask you out? He knows I don't care, but I don't want it to be "weather" at home. -She continued and Samantha laughed at her friend.

-I just want to graduate. - Samantha replied, and Mari began to take her things out of her backpack. It didn't take long for the teacher to enter the room and save Samantha from answering more of her friend's questions.

João Soares was an elderly man. Gray hair slicked back, round glasses and beard. He wore a suit that looked like it was made to measure, and he held only a pen in his hand. He was a man who showed respect and trust, and Samantha knew he was worthy of it. She always heard his mother speak highly of him and how he was a great journalist. Soares was famous throughout the country.

-Goodnight! -he started the class, silencing those who whispered. -You may already know me, but I'll introduce myself. My name is João Soares, former journalist and reporter for the city newspaper, current newspaper in Vale. This year begins my second year as a professor at the University. He paused and faced the class. – I also did my college here, and I have great respect for the institution. This semester, I will teach you a class on experimental projects, and my proposal for you seniors is simple. I want you to write me a subject to pass in my classes.

-What kind of subject? -A boy at the back of the room asks and the teacher stares at him.

-The proposal is for you to be journalists of a place, writing about it and its activities. It will be like an internship, but without mandatory hours, just according to your schedules. You should stay in the proposed environment and write a story. I want you to surrender to this, since you chose to be here and finish this course, because this will be for your life. - He paused, and looked at Samantha for a few seconds. – I want something good, so I can put you in the paper. I will publish the article in a dedicated column for the best student, including the articles written during the internship. The best article will win the column, and the ones I decide to publish at the end of the semester will pass. I want something excellent.

After that speech, the room went wild. Samantha felt an excitement and a bit of competitiveness rising.
Exactly what she wanted. Mari, in turn, just tried to charm the teacher, but was unsuccessful, as he didn't look at anyone in the room for more than two seconds. Samantha observed every detail well.

-I got 22 contacts, the exact number of students in that class. I'll do a draw to see who each one will partner with to write the article. Each contact is from a different area, whether writing about a hospital, a celebrity, or a social action. I wish you all good luck. Let's start the draw.

With that, he took a bunch of cards out of his pocket and passed them from table to table, so that each student could draw one. On Samantha's turn, she chose to take a card from the middle.

-I'm going to have to do a story for an NGO, how about you? -She looked upset. Samantha read her card and was surprised.

-Detective Brian Williams, CSI. -She read the card and her friend widened her eyes. Mari looked as surprised as Samantha that she'd never thought of writing an investigative story. She enjoyed interviewing and writing about public opinion. She only worked on her blog, which had about 10 monthly visits, two of which were Mari's account and her fake profile.

-Exchange! -Mari spoke a little loudly, but loud enough for Soares to hear.

-It is forbidden to exchange cards. I'm watching. - he said, and looked around the room. – I want you to come here one by one and give me your name and card. After that, they are free to start the project. All contacts on the card are already aware of the project. Next week we start class, with tips on writing.

Samantha waited for the queue to decrease before getting up and going to the teacher.

She gets in line, with only two people in front of her, and feels someone touching her shoulder.

-I took the public opinion article, to do an internship and write something for the city hall. Change with me? – Daniel spoke directly to her. It startled her, but she could see in his eyes that he was being sincere in his request for trades. She stopped for a second to think and saw that it made sense for them to switch. It was the focus of everyone there on the course since the beginning of college.

-Clear. -She answered. It would be good to work with polls and public opinion on some recent issue in the city. Who knows, maybe it would awaken that extinguished flame that Samantha had at the beginning of the course?

-Samantha and Daniel, yours are missing. - Soares said, and when Samantha saw it, really, there was only her and Daniel to deliver the card for the teacher to write down. She couldn't change anymore and she whispered an "I'm sorry" to her colleague, who responded with an "Okay".

-You have the main subjects, do it well. -Advised the teacher, who smiled at both. As she sat down to pack her things, Mari was restless.

-You and Daniel took the best subjects. What do I do with an NGO? - She spoke as they went down to the canteen. – Anyway, we have to wait until 10 pm for my brother if we want a ride. – Mari said and sat down at a table. Samantha looked at the clock and saw that there were still two hours to go.

-If you don't mind, I'll be back by bus. I still need to get some stuff done at home. – Samantha answers and her friend agrees, distracted by a group of freshmen who were still there. Sam envied their excitement, and wondered if in three semesters they would be the same.

Bluntly, she puts her bag on her shoulder, says goodbye to her friend and goes to the bus stop, waiting for the bus to stop go home.

Every morning was pretty much the same thing for Samantha. Tidy up the house and look for a job. In the afternoon, she would stay in the living room studying something, and leave the room to her sister. Her cell phone started to vibrate and she looked at it. There were three messages from Mari.

"Have you called the detective yet?"

"Glad I didn't switch with you."

"Seriously, the person in charge of the NGO is a hot!!!"

She read her friend's message and laughed. Mari was on vacation that month. She was an administrative assistant at the newspaper in the neighboring city, but she always had the ambition to want more, so she always changed jobs when she received a better offer. After reading her friend's message, Samantha finally decided to take the card and do her part.

Since she didn't work, she was going to focus on that subject and use it as a gateway to new opportunities.
The card itself was white, with the back bound in black for the teacher's draw, and the information on it was brief. It read: "Detective Brian Williams, CSI" and below his name, his phone number.

Only.

Samantha added his number and decided to call. On the second ring, he answered.

-Williams. - A serious voice spoke on the other end of the line. Samantha thought for two seconds before saying something.

-Hey. -She said and paused. She felt like she was doing poorly. That voice on the other end of the line intimidated her, and she didn't even know what the detective looked like. She took a breath, formed a basic conversation in her mind, and continued. – My name is Samantha, I am a student of João Soares. I'm calling about the internship to do a news story with you. – She said, taking a deep breath, and just thought about why she was like that, since making a call is nothing for someone who wants to be a journalist. She should come to terms with that.

-Oh, really. I had forgotten about this one. – He said in a tone of disdain. Samantha was confused. –I'll give you another number, that of my assistant Luciana. She will go into more detail about this. - He said and already shot the phone number. Samantha almost missed the first few numbers, but she was sure she got it right. Before she could say anything else, or confirm the number she had written down, the call ended.

Thick. She thought to herself and decided to call the girl. She added the number and called. She waited for someone to pick up, but the number went to voicemail, and she gave up. She didn't want to be disappointed again with another call. She would try later.

She decided to go back to her studies, until the doorbell rang. He went to see who she was, and to her surprise, it was Alex. He had a smile on his face as always, and this time, his eyes sparkled. He looked anxious about something.

- I'll take you today. - He said and Samantha understood why the twinkle in his eyes. – Mari called me and said she was stuck at the NGO because of a project. - He smiled as he said those words and Samantha was embarrassed. She wouldn't mind taking the bus without her best friend, but she wouldn't turn down a ride. Even more so coming from Alex. One more chance to be together, and understand each other.

-He is well. -She said, but I had the impression that Alex wanted the answer to the invitation made the night before, since he seemed uneasy. She knew him well.

-And this weekend? Already have the answer? - He asked and she smiled. Samantha really wanted to go, but most of all, she wanted to focus on her chosen career and finding a job. She didn't want to get hurt. She liked Alex and knew he felt the same way about her, and over the past year he had shown it more and more. Before he could respond, his phone rang. She excused herself and saw who was calling. She was the detective's assistant.

-Hello? -She answers and tells Alex to wait a minute and he waits for her leaning on the door of her apartment.

-Hello! And number just called me, and I'm calling back. Who would like? -A girl speaks, and the impression is that she is younger. And friendly.

-Hello! My name is Samantha, I'm a journalism student, in João Soares' class and I need to write an article about you. Mr. Brian Williams asked me to call this number and speak with Luciana. - Samantha explained and felt that she spoke with a firm voice, as it should have been the first time. The woman on the other end of the line laughed.

-Don't call Brian sir, he hates it. -She kept laughing and Samantha was quiet. -I'm Luciana, call me Lu. -She said and seemed to type something. -I need your full name and ID, please. Tell me your email too, so I can send you the address. I will register you here. -She typed a few more things. -I have a time tomorrow at 8 am to talk, okay? If it's not available, let me know when you can and I'll try to fit it in. -She said and Samantha smiled into the phone.

-Of course I can, it's perfect! -She replied and passed her data to Lu. He was going to take advantage of everything he could.

-Thanks Samantha, see you tomorrow. -Lu said and waited for Samantha to say goodbye to hang up air the phone. She did, she seemed nice. She hoped the detective wasn't rude in person.

-Are you going to have an appointment? -Alex asks and Samantha smiles.

-Yes, I'm going to start the story for Soares. I'm going to the police station tomorrow morning, but I don't know until what time I'll be there. -She explained and smiled when she saw the email notification coming.

-It's all right. - Alex says dryly. Samantha notices, and goes to him, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

-Saturday, at 7 pm, we'll go to the corner bar up front. – Samantha took action and the boy seemed to formulate what he had heard. -And I can give you another chance, but I'm clear from the beginning what my intention is Alex. do not let me down. - She speaks and the young man smiles. She wasn't going to let him go, and since she believed this year was going to be a great year, she wasn't going to hide any more from him.

-You will not regret. - He answers and Samantha smiles back.

-Hope not. -She answers and he smiles even more, leaving Samantha at her house. Before closing the door, he looks at her.

-I'll stop by at 6:30 pm to go to college.

-He is well. -She answers and he closes the door. Samantha decided to start thinking about an outfit for both commitments: the visit to the police station and the future meeting with Alex.