M19 and F18 I've been talking to this girl and in our conversation She Is talkative and doesn't respond in a monotone way, we talk about all kind of stuff and She Always laughs at my bad jokes. I Always thought She didn't have any interest in me so i never initiated anything . Recently tho She started following me around wherever i go, at school For example there are a lot of routes to get to school After we drop off the bus and since we arrive early i Always go on the long routes by myself to kill time and Just listen to music while walking. She usually goes to the normal route After dropping off the bus to talk to her Friends before the Bell. But recently She has been following me in my long walks to kill time sometimes She even risks to arrive late at school because of this. I know She has Friends to talk to before the Bell Rings but it's been 6 months and She Always choosed to go with me in my Daily walks and we Always have fun talking to each other.I wouldn't want to misread this as interest in me since It would lead to ruining the Friendship but is there a way to safely "test" whether or not She has interest in me? Cuz i'd like to ask her out and maybe escalate , but i would like to have some evidence on whether or not She Is interested in me. How do i test this?

I know most of you Will tell me to Just ask her out but i wouldn't want to get rejected and make our interactions weird.