The Tale of Two Lukes

Chapter 9: Funeral

CJ ended up in the hospital due to bad injuries. Miles, on the other hand, passed away right in the park. Ben calls an ambulance either way, and the paramedics conclude that Miles is officially dead after trying to work on him for half an hour straight. Ben cries in the park, and ends up practically spending the entire night there. He doesn't come home until 6am. Ben ends up sleeping for 12 hours straight from exhaustion and crying.

3 days later, Miles' funeral is hosted. A large portion of the band is there, including the entire trombone section except CJ and Short Luke. The pastor of Miles' church gives the sermon for the service. Practically the entire trombone section comes up and speaks during it.
After the Sermon, people were allowed to go up and see the body. Most of the trombone section gave flowers or crosses to the coffin, but Ben gave something else.
"You know, I really never paid you back for the 7 you gave me. Thank you for that", Ben says as he places 7 bucks into Miles' coffin. He also places a pocket watch and trombone mouthpiece inside, then sits back down.
Mekhi sits in the back alone. He sits there and prays for the first time in a very long time. The only other sophomore in the section is gone. He had also lost a dear friend. Emma sits next to Mekhi.
"Hey, are you alright?" Emma asks.
Mekhi shakes his head no. He only looks down and doesn't make eye contact. Mekhi sighs and Emma doesn't ask anymore questions. They both sit there until the indoor part of the funeral ends. They both get up and follow the group to see the burial.
Miles' casket gets lowered. As it does, Short Luke appears in the distance. He's disguised as a worker. Joel and him catch each other's gaze. They are able to recognize each other despite Short Luke's disguise. Joel ignored him for now, but he plans on confrontation later. Miles is finally buried, and everyone just stands there, looking at the grave.