This has become my favorite subreddit and I've been stalking it for a few weeks. It's been helping not just my interactions with women, but my all around social interactions with work and friends. Now I come to you for assistance.

I have been talking to this girl who works at the restaurant near where I work and as luck may have it, one of her close friends has actually worked with me for about a year, I'm friends with her as well. I'm talking to "Friend" one day and "Target" becomes topic. That night, Target friends me on Facebook, initiates conversation. We chat back and forth for a bit she says she's getting off the computer but "Here's my number. Text me if you're bored. " #-close. Bam. So I'm feeling good. I text her right away so she has my number as well and she picks up conversation and it gets a little flirty. Next day I go to pick up my check from work and see her. We flirt a little, she goes back to work. Flirting continues for 2-3 days until I finally just point blank ask her out on Saturday. She seems a little taken aback but smiles and says sure! This is where things get weird...communication goes into the pits. She seems embarrassed to talk to me at work anymore, rarely returns my texts, the date was blown off for a wedding she forgot was that weekend. ( She asked for a raincheck but never set a date. It still hasn't been established at this point. ) I ask Friend about situation and am greeted with "oh she talks about you all the time. Don't worry about it, everything is fine."

Furthermore, Friend is also texting me being subtly flirtatious but in a friendly sort of way...initiated incidental 2 kino with her and she's not shy at all, but then she sometimes texts me things that I can easily turn into a steamy conversation, but avoid because I'm afraid it's a shit test or something she wold share with target.

So: Insight on target's response from outside my own head is appreciated and also is friend smokescreening/shit testing me?