Last Friday, a group of my closest friends and I sat in the student union at our usual time. Fall Party season is among us, so naturally the topic of conversation revolved around the event. In discussion, my friend Abby and I decided we would ask our dates together since they are friends. Being the fun-loving girls we are, we decided we would rather ask them in a fun way then to do the typical “Will you go to fall party?” ask. So the search for the perfect way to ask began. We searched Pinterest up and down, looking for puns having to do with the fall season or their fraternity. It wasn’t until a few hours later, as we sat in the dining hall, that we thought of the perfect way to ask.

For our plan to be successful, we needed to do some preparation work. First, we needed to find someone “on the inside” who could help us. This basically means we needed a guy who could go into their dorm. Next, we needed apples -- and lots of them. This step resulted in many confused looks from other Grovers in the dining hall. Now the fun part begins.

Starting Sunday night, the potential dates were bombarded with apples. Our man on the inside was told to place apples in their backpacks, on their desks, on their pillows and basically anywhere else they could think of in their rooms. Monday morning began the personal deliveries. Abby and I carried apples in our bags for the next four days and whenever we saw one of the potential dates (either hers or mine – it didn’t matter who it was) we would find someone to take them an apple. Their instructions were to either hand it to them or put it on their table and not say a word. The tricky part about this was actually convincing these random people to complete the task. I am amazed the plan was not ruined before the end because we had to explain what was happening to every person who helped us.

The stage of apple placement lasted for four days. During this time, each boy received approximately 35 apples. It was hilarious to see their confused faces whenever they received a new apple, followed by shouts of “Why?” and “I don’t even like apples!”

To finish up the proposal, we had Abby’s sister text both the boys separately telling them a time to meet on the steps of one of the academic meetings followed by an apple emoji. Fifteen minutes before the meeting time, Abby and I, accompanied by four friends who wanted to hide in the bushes, made our way to the steps with posters that read “Jake and Ethan we ‘picked’ you for fall party.” As the time drew closer and closer to when they were to arrive, Abby and I discussed what we would do if they didn’t show up, and we could not think of an answer at the time.

However, three minutes late, we see them coming in the distance. Abby and I sit patiently on the steps with the signs turned toward us. When they are finally a considerate distance away, we threw them their last apples, which had their names on them, and then flipped the sign. Thankfully they said yes, and Abby and I (and the 15 other people who delivered apples) did not waste half of our week.

At the end of this very involved fall party ask, I was so glad to have a friend like Abby who also didn’t want to do a boring ask and two great guys who don’t hate us too much for filling their rooms with Granny Smiths.