Derek’s dilemma

Derek's mother walked into his room, a determined look on her face. "Derek, I have something important to tell you," she said, her voice firm.

Derek looked up from his book, curious. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm going away for a while, and I need you to take care of someone for me," his mother said. "Your stepbrother will be coming to stay with you. I'll drop him off later today."

Derek's expression didn't change much. He had grown apart from his mother after she remarried, so this news wasn't entirely unexpected.

"Okay," he said, his voice neutral.

His mother seemed to relax now that Derek had agreed. "Good. Now, I need to go."

As soon as his mother left, Derek decided to head over to Clara's house to explain his father's actions and rectify the issue between them. He wanted Clara to understand why his father did what he did and to clear up any misconceptions.

However, when he arrived at Clara's house, she wasn't in the mood to listen. She barely let him get a word out before shutting him down.

Frustrated, Derek pulled out his phone and dialed Josie Quinn's number. "Hey, can you come over?" he asked, not wanting to go into details over the phone.

Josie agreed, and within minutes, she was knocking on Derek's door. "What's going on?" she asked, concern etched on her face.

Derek took a deep breath and told Josie everything - about his father's past, his mother's quest for revenge, and how he wanted to explain everything to Clara. Josie listened attentively, her expression growing more serious with each passing moment.

When Derek finished, Josie nodded thoughtfully. "I'll go talk to Clara and explain everything to her," she said. "She'll understand once she knows the whole story."

Just then, Derek's mother returned with his stepbrother in tow. Josie's eyes widened as she took in the scene, and Derek's mother noticed her.

"And who might you be?" his mother asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm Josie Quinn," Josie replied with a smile.

Derek's mother's eyes lit up. "Ah, I've heard of you. You're quite famous around here, aren't you?"

Josie nodded graciously. "Yes, I suppose I am."

Derek's mother looked at Derek and Josie with a knowing glint in her eye. "I think I can see why you're friends with her, Derek. She's lovely."

Derek felt his face heat up, but Josie just laughed. "Thanks, Mrs...?"

"Derek's mother is fine," she replied with a smile. "I'm glad to see Derek has such a nice friend. Now, I should get going. Derek, take care of your stepbrother, and I'll be back later today to check on things."

As Derek's mother left, Josie turned to Derek and whispered, "I'll go talk to Clara now. She'll understand once she knows everything."

When Josie arrived at Clara's house, she sat down with her and began to explain the situation. "Clara, I know you're upset, but you have to understand that Derek's father was driven by his love for Allison and his grief after her death. He wasn't thinking clearly, and his actions were a result of his pain."

Clara listened intently, her expression softening slightly. Josie continued, "I know it's not easy, but imagine if I died. You're going to blame the person who could have stopped me, just like you would if your grandma let you die. I'd be so furious, maybe not to the point of killing her, but I will be very mad."

Clara's expression changed as she considered Josie's words. "I understand," she said finally. "I've been so angry at Derek that I didn't hear his side of the story. I think I will go talk to him."