[AN: Hi! This is actually my first fanfiction I've ever published! I may not be the best writer in the world. I may not be that amazing in general. But this is something I've been working on, nonetheless. It may be a bit dialogue-heavy, but that's just my style. I'm sorry! It won't get much better. Also, I didn't try to put TOO much Gohan/Videl in this fic. Sure, it's a part of it, but I try to put a greater emphasis on the relationships between ALL characters, not just "true love romance" stuff. Any comments will be appreciated!]

"I just can't believe I dated him," Videl sighed.

"Don't worry about it," said Erasa from the other side of the phone. "It's not your fault that Tape ended up being…"

"A total jerk!" Videl exclaimed.

"A total jerk," Erasa agreed. "But at least you know what he's really like now. It would have been worse if you'd been going out for longer."

Videl sighed again. "Can this get any worse? School's starting, I broke up with Tape and I don't have anyone to help me train for the Budokai!"

Erasa feigned deafness, like always, when Videl mentioned martial arts. That always annoyed her. Sure, it wasn't exactly a girly thing to like, but she was the daughter of the World Martial Arts champion! It was a part of her life, whether she liked it or not.

"At least you're single now," Erasa posited. "You're free from any obligations."

"And that means all my rejects are going to try asking me out again." Videl had gone through a lot of boyfriends in the past few years. And there still wasn't a shortage of guys waiting for their chance. That tended to happen when you were popular AND came from a rich family.

"Maybe the next one will be better…"

"They never are," said Videl. "All they care about is my popularity, and not me. Not to mention, my dad's ultimatum narrows the options."

A few months ago, her father decided that she was only allowed to date someone who was stronger than him. While no one would have ever qualified for that, her and Tape never got serious enough for it to really apply. That, and she didn't tell her father they were dating. He'd strike it down as soon as he found out. Her father was so infuriating sometimes! She should be allowed to date anyone she liked!

"Sometimes I feel like there isn't a single boy in this city that's good enough for me. They're all just jerks."

Erasa paused. "…that's a selfish thing to say."

"It's true, though!" Videl exclaimed. "Everyone who wants me isn't good enough. That, or they're not strong enough to fight me."

Erasa sighed. "No wonder you broke up with Tape with THAT attitude."

"Shut up!" cried Videl. "I really thought he would last…"

Eventually, they hung up, and Videl fell on her bed. School tomorrow, and everyone will know she's single. What a disaster. It would be hard enough to sit in her usual spot without Sharpener making a move on her.

And then she thought of Tape. He seemed great, at first. Strong and funny and always cool. But from the start, he was a bit too self-centred. It was at the party the night before when she realised he only cared about her to increase his social status. They walked in to the party holding hands, but after that he acted like she wasn't even there. And he always blabbed on about things she'd rather keep secret. It was almost impossible to trust him! She broke up with him before the party was over.

Thinking back, maybe she was being a bit too petty. Maybe she had too much to drink and it went to her head. Maybe Tape was actually nice. But she'd let the genie out of the bottle by breaking up with him. She couldn't just go back and say "Hey, it was a mistake, let's get back together"! What would people think of her then?

…she really needed to stop caring about what other people thought. That's what I'll do, she thought. From now on. Not care about what people thought about her. Popularity was overrated, anyway.

But she knew that kind of attitude wasn't going to last. It never did.

Videl sighed, turned off her lights, and went to bed.

She didn't know that, the next day, a single boy would kickstart a chain of events that would change her life forever. This is her story. It is a story about love, loss and family. A story about being only human.