Asking someone out and risking rejection takes quite a bit of bravery and self-confidence, especially when it’s your first time doing it.

High school sophomore Dakota Nelton recalls precisely what it’s like to be in those shoes.

The teen from Gray, Louisiana finally came up with the courage to ask a special friend to the homecoming dance with a homemade sign and a bag of Starbursts.

Unfortunately, his proposal was not only met with a harsh rejection, but also scathing public humiliation as onlookers laughed, pointed, and pulled out their tape recorders. As the bullies rolled all over his sign, Dakota felt what little was left of his self-esteem being trampled to the ground as well.

“It was actually a pretty tough moment standing in a small circle with that one shake of the head and you just got to find your way out of that circle,” he said.

As the video of him getting turned down continued racking up thousands of views on social media from viewers across the country, the poor teen felt he may never recover from the devastation.

But little did he know, a group of 13 girls was creating a genius plan to make sure Dakota knew he was more than worth ONE date to homecoming.