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It was the day of Keith's funeral. Lucas, Brooke, Nathan, Mouth, and Haley all drove over to the hospital to pick up Peyton. "Ehmagawd! Peyton!" Brooke yelled as soon as they saw her. She was doing much better, and was able to walk with crutches. Peyton was sitting down on the couch, waiting for the gang. Brooke sat down next to her and squeezed her around the neck so hard, Peyton had trouble breathing. "All right, Brooke. Don't suffocate me!" Everyone laughed. "OK, we gotta go," Lucas said while checking his watch. "Keith is waiting for us."
Later, at Keith's funeral, Lucas walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat, and began. "For those of you who didn't know, Keith Scott was going to become my father. The adoption papers had already been signed. But you know what? Papers or no papers, I still think that in every respect, he was my real father. He was. And the way my father died was not an accident, or a coincidence. His death was not in vain. He died in honor. I am proud to stand up here today and say 'My dad died to save someone else."
Mouth interlocked fingers with Rachel on one side, and Brooke on the other. Brooke grabbed Peyton's hand, who grabbed Nathan's, who held Haley's hand tightly. They held on, not daring to let go.
Lucas put his hands on the podium to steady himself. He looked down at Brooke's face, tears running down her cheeks. He looked at his brother (Nathan), his best friend (Haley), and everyone else who knew Keith. Peyton…Mouth…his mom…Whitey…Dan. And he knew he must continue.
"As you all know, unfortunately, Keith was unable to save a life in time. And that day, one of my best friends, Jimmy Edwards, also had to leave us." Lucas looked bittersweet right when he said that, and of course, everyone understood why. Lucas hated what Jimmy had done, but he couldn't hate Jimmy. He went on, "But whether he had been able to save Jimmy or not isn't the source of his honor. The honor came from trying. And if Keith was here today, I know he would want all of you to try your best in everything you do. I know he used to tell me, 'If you fall, get up on your ass and go again!"
Everyone in the audience cheered. Some laughed. Some clapped.
"So, if you leave today knowing only one thing, remember that. It's the best advice I've ever been given!" Lucas smiled at this. "Now what I have to do is pass on Keith's legacy. And the way that he lived and eventually died, he deserves to be honored. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves! I will honor him…by living a life worthy of honor! Thank you."