Matthew stood there, frozen in shock – or was it fear? After a few moments, the initial horror wore off, and he rushed into the alley, taking a deep breath.

"W-what..." he took another slow, shaky breath and continued, "What happened?" He quickly crouched down next to Gilbert, taking out his cell phone and dialing 911. He glanced at the albino, who was hyperventilating and occasionally coughing up scarlet. "Actually, don't answer that, on second thought. Heh…" Matthew sighed, waiting for the line to connect.

Gilbert sucked in a quick breath, struggling to breathe.

"O-OD. T-tell the –" he gestured toward the phone, running out of breath.

"911, what's your emergency?" a woman's voice answered.

"My…" Matthew glanced at the older boy on the floor in front of him, deliberating. "My classmate…he's having trouble breathing, and he's coughing up blood…he says he has an OD, whatever that is, and I think he really nee –"

"Okay, that's enough, please sir, just stay calm. Where are you currently located?"

"The grocery store…uh, the intersection of 5th and Diamond. P-please, hurry…"

"Okay, just stay calm. Stay on the line, and ambulances and police are on the way. Just stay calm. Is your friend still conscious?"

Matthew glanced over at Gilbert frantically, who was slowly losing the battle for air.

"Y-yeah…"

"Alright, just stay on the line. He'll be okay."

"O-okay…thank you so much…" Matthew took a shaky breath, leaning on the wall behind him, facing Gilbert to watch his condition. The albino was shaking slightly, wheezing and struggling to breathe, though the coughing had stopped. Matthew wasn't sure if that was a good sign. He slowly scooted over closer to Gilbert. "H-hey…don't…d-die on me, or anything…" He almost winced at the way his voice was cracking, but didn't move away. Gilbert didn't respond, and they were silent except for the sound of his wheezing and occasional coughing. Soon, the sound of sirens and radios filled the silence, and a team of paramedics rushed in, getting Gilbert onto a stretcher.

"W-wait…" Matthew asked weakly to one of the paramedics. "C-can I ride with him?"

"Sorry, regulations. You're a minor, can't ride." The medic rushed past him.

"B-but, I'm 18…" Matthew stammered.

The medic gave him a sharp glance, and then relented. "Get in the front passenger's seat. Keep the back door closed."

"Thanks…" Matthew climbed up the steep stairs behind the door, and sat down. The interior of the ambulance was metallic, and the seat felt somewhat awkward. He settled into the lumpy seat, and braced himself for the ride. He wasn't sure exactly whyhe was riding with the bully who beat him up every day, but Matthew felt some sort of strange obligation to see this out to the finish, whatever "this" was.

He'd probably get beat up for this later.

A/N: Yes, I know this chapter is incredibly short. It's on purpose. I tried to keep it "in theme" since it seems like it would go really fast after the paramedics arrived, if you know what I mean. Ephemeral, the title of this chapter, means "short-lived." My personal muses for inspiration are Simple Plan, Secondhand Serenade, Linkin Park, Evanescence, and The Script, among many others. (Big Bang 3) Expect an update soon. ^^