"Music Makes the Bourgeoisie and the Rebels do...Stuff"

by TheBucketWoman

Disclaimer: I do not own Life with Derek or anything else I may reference herein including the songs I reference which were part of the meme. No profit is being made nor is any infringement intended. The title's meant to be a parody.

A/N: This, as you can probably guess, was part of the iPod shuffle challenge (hit "shuffle" and write drabbles based on the first ten songs; write only during the duration of each song,) that's been going around. I have been good and tagged by a lot of excellent people, so as much as this scared me (write something fast?? Egads!!) I had to try it. I think everyone I know has been tagged, but if you haven't and you wanna give it a shot? Tag—you're it.

1. "Basket Case" by Avril Lavigne, orig. by Green Day.

"Liz!" Casey yelled.

It was gonna be one of those days. Lizzie crossed the hall to Casey's room. Why delay the inevitable?

"Can you check this over for me?" Casey said, handing over some papers.


"I have to send it out with my application by next week!"

"But we looked at it ten times," Lizzie said. "Mom checked it. Ed checked it. Sam checked it. It's perfect, okay?"

"Liz?" Casey said, eyes getting bigger, rounder and wetter.

Why argue, Lizzie thought. There was no point. She took the pages. Again.

2. "Sleep Better" by Pete Yorn.

This was for the best. Everyone knew it. Logically. He needed to stay away, as much as he didn't want to. He pulled every trick he could think of to make her sick of him.

And as much as he didn't want to do it, he knew that it just couldn't work.

So he got her to break up with him. It took a couple of weeks, fighting on and off. And she cried which melted his resolve away, and she kissed him which melted his resolve away even more than the crying did. But he showed her that he was wrong for her.

So that Derek could take his shot.

Who knew it would take so long?

3. "Drink With Me" from Les Miserables

At a house party, there were so many of them that summer before they all went off to university, drinking proved to be rampant. It wasn't like anyone was checking ID.

Some of them were really maudlin drunks. Going over and over stories about girls they blew it with.

4. "Free" by Train

Not a relationship kinda guy. It even sounded like a line to him. He didn't do well with commitment, didn't buy girls things, and certainly didn't call them when he said he would.

When they lost interest in him, there was always another one handy.

Except he couldn't freakin concentrate long enough to pay attention to them. Not when Casey kept dancing around the living room, headphone wires tangling as she went.

5. "Cry Baby Cry" by Santana feat. Sean Paul and Joss Stone

"You're kidding, right?" Casey said.

"Casey," Max tried.

"You dumped me," she said. "Remember?"

"No actually," Max said. "You said you wanted a break from me."

"And that implied that we'd get back together," Casey said. "I just needed some time alone, but instead of listening to me. Not that you ever listened to me. You dumped me."

"What do you mean?" Max said. "I always listened to you."

"I practically screamed for help that whole week, she said " did you notice?"

"Drama Queen" he muttered.

"Yep..." Casey said. "Bye."

6. "Madame Ray" by The Long Blondes

Every girl had a going out playlist. Filled with what Casey was starting to think of as fight songs. Stuff that got played at sporting events...or should have. Stuff that got you riled up and ready for battle. Music to put mascara on. Music to help you deal with the flatiron even though you curse the day it was invented. She and Emily bumped hips and fists on the way out of the bathroom.

7. "She Comes Across the Room" by Easy Tiger.

When did this happen? Derek wondered.

He realized that he was on the phone at midnight. With Emily. It was her own fault for being the sensible one. She was calm. And she knew what she was talking about.

He needed her so much that he found it easier and easier to ignore the nagging feeling that she still maybe, kinda, sorta wanted him.

That wasn't ego. She had no reason to want him. She could have anyone she wanted, but somehow she latched on to his silly ass in grade one and it took ten years for someone else to get through to her.

And she was over Derek...but then Sheldon moved. And we were back to square one.

But he needed her help.

8. "The Hardest Button to Button" by the White Stripes

"Oh no," Nora said.

There was White Stripes on the stereo and a pile of assorted geegaws on the table.

George had a project.

Last time it was a ship in the bottle. This time it seems like a model car. Of some sort. She only just got the last little bit of glue off the table from last time.

But he had that look in his eyes. And he was drumming on the table.

So she guessed it was worth it.

9. "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson

"Derek," Casey said.



Still nothing.

"Come on, Derek," she said. "Off the bed."

He grunted. And turned over.

"It's been two weeks," Casey said. "You knew Sally was leaving for University."

She didn't know why she was starting on that line of thought. Knowing someone's leaving you doesn't exactly soften the blow, does it? If only he'd get mad, maybe she'd have something to work with, but this curling up on the bed and not tormenting her thing was really horrible. She was going to have to pull out the big guns.


He needed some protective Marti scorn to make things okay again.

10. "Hold My Hand" by Hootie and the Blowfish

Somebody let me into a frat party. I know. I was surprised too. I am so not frat guy. I'm not technically even a student here yet. I'm touring the damn campus, but someone said party and girls, so I went for it.

I didn't have any expectations. I've been turned down by the best of them.

But then. I heard a familiar voice singing along to something that was ten miles out of her range. Something about holding hands, etc. You know the one. The one that we all really like, but don't admit to liking. I was five when it came out. It was important to me all the same.

As was she.

What's with this past tense stuff? She is important to me all the same.

"Em?" I asked before she squeezed the breath out of me.