“So…what are you doing Friday night?” It’s an awkward question, one fraught with multiple meanings, eagerness and above all, fear.

Being asked out has a lot of emotions attached to it. First, there’s the flattery. It’s that ‘hey, someone likes me and is asking me out.’ There’s also the surge of happiness—that is, if it comes from someone you like back.

However, there are times when inevitably, someone you’re just not interested in for whatever reason, will ask you out. For those times when you’d rather a giant hole open up in the earth and swallow you alive, use some of the tips mentioned below to stave off a potentially terrible date. It takes class, honesty, and a whole lot of tact to turn down someone respectfully yet firmly. Here are some good ways: