Top 10 Ways to Turn Down a Date

It's Valentine's Day, and you're nervous. You think someone is gearing up to ask you out on a romantic Valentine's Day date. Problem: you don't like said someone, but you don't want to hurt his or her feelings. So what do you do? Well, here's our top 10 ways to turn down a potential date.

1. You're not dateable. Act crazy! Do something silly or weird so they get the memo.
2. Dating will lower your marks. In some cases, this may be the real reason (although they may not always buy it).
3. You're not ready for a relationship. Perhaps you've just ended one or don't date.
4. Play matchmaker! Introduce a willing friend to them. Maybe a new romance will spawn out of it.
5. Tell them they're like a brother or sister to you. Most people would be freaked out by the thought of dating a sibling.
6. It will ruin your friendship. Dating tends to make things awkward later, and you value your friendship so much that you don't want to jeopardize it.
7. You're not allowed to date. Parents are a force to be reckoned with; most people will back off. Who wants to mess with protective parents?
8. "I can't. I'm busy." The ultimate excuse! You could be doing all sorts of things, who knows? All that matters is that you're unfortunately unavailable that day, and maybe every other day as well.../li>
9. You don't like them that way. Be honest. Sometimes that's the best way to let someone know you're not interested.
10. You like someone else. Often, this is true. If that's so, don't lead the person on – just tell it to them straight.