After Teen Was Publicly Rejected Before Homecoming, 13 Girls Asked Him to Go to the Dance

One of the most stressful things about being in high school isn’t getting good grades—it’s asking a date to a dance. The pressure of asking the right way, the clammy hands and lump in your throat that develops right before you ask—it’s all so difficult.

If you’ve ever been nervous about asking someone on a date, you’ve probably told yourself, “Well I guess the worst thing that could happen is that they say no!” Unfortunately, that’s not the worst thing that could happen.

The worst thing that could happen was something that happened to Dakota Nelton, a sophomore at a Louisiana high school, who probably would’ve preferred a straight up “no.”

Dakota finally built up the courage to ask a girl to the upcoming homecoming dance—it would’ve been his first date ever. He made a sign and everything, and asked her in the hallway of the school—a school that ironically actually stands for bravery, care, and happiness.

However, when she turned him down, the entire school was there to witness it—and dozens of onlookers laughed as hard as they could in his face. “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. It’s hesitating,” Dakota says.

Some of his fellow students who witnessed the rejected even had to audacity to step on and ruin the poster he made. “That’s what made me walk away. I didn’t want to be a part of it,” Dakota says.

He was absolutely devastated, as any teen would be in a situation like this. It got even worse when someone posted a video of the rejection and it went viral on Facebook. Not only did Dakota have to experience the moment in real time, but now it was circulating on social media.

Don’t worry, the story has a happy ending! Dakota did get some good news thanks to some kind girls at his school.

The following Monday after his rejection, a total of 13 girls, held up posters for Dakota in the hallway and asked him to go to the homecoming dance with them. Some of the girls were even cheerleaders, which are historically some of the more “popular” people in school.

One of the girls, Alyssa Buckley, said that she and her friends wanted to “get a group of girls together and ask him to show him that he’s loved and worthy and deserves to be going to homecoming with somebody,” noting that they’re going to make sure he dances and has fun at the dance.

It completely turned around Dakota’s mood. “I felt like one of the popular kids in school which I’m really not,” he said.

It just so happens that October is National Bullying Prevention Month, which is the month that this situation occurred. Bullying is never okay, and it’s a shame that so many students laughed at Dakota, but we’re glad these ladies were able to put a smile on his face after such a humiliating moment.

To see the video of Dakota being rejected, as well as hear from the girls who turned his week around, check out the video below.

What do you think of what happened to Dakota? What would you have done in this situation?