With the school on a prom hangover and a new season in Colorado underway, new couples are springing up everywhere. Love may seem like a magical thing, but two people’s happiness may come at the expense of others. In order to keep friendships bonds strong, couples may resort to tacking a ‘third-wheel’ onto their relationship.

Some may say that three is a party, but in this case it is most definitely not. When a boyfriend and girlfriend invite a mutual friend along, they are practically just begging for a crisis.

A common third-wheel date is watching movies, which is, in a word; awkward. The couple typically ends up cuddling while their friend just revels in the silence.

“I hate third wheeling because even though my friends invite me along, they don’t bother enough to actually hang out with me,” sophomore Courtney Sardi said.

Most girls will invite a friend along on a date so that they have a wing-man to always keep the conversation fueled. This can result in the friend being singled out or can actually make the girl’s date be a third-wheel to the friends. Either way, it is a disastrous idea and no matter what, someone’s feeling gets hurt.

Some couples have solved this world crisis with a rare phenomenon. Adding a fourth person into the equation turns it from an awkward situation to a simple double-date.

“I haven’t been on any double dates, but they seem like a lot more fun than spending some quality time with me, myself, and I as a third-wheel,” Sardi said.

The best way to be a third-wheel is simply just to avoid the situation. Say no to the invitation to awkwardly fill the date or bring along someone else to make it into a classic double.