Okay, Seddit, here's the deal:

There's a girl I seemed to really click with back in November.. I mean, we really seemed to go well together and I would have bet money she was into me. My friends all agreed. Unfortunately, when I asked her out, I got a flat out "No".

Fast forward and we're still in touch. I tried cutting ties because I didn't want to be used by someone who would lead me on but had apparently friendzoned me.. Well, she made every effort to keep communications open and eventually I gave in. She transferred into a class of mine, she's started hanging out more, and she's generally been (apparently) a lot more genuine of a person whereas previously my friends and I had come to realize she was somewhat of a "walking ball of defense mechanisms".

Well, I was walking her home (from my dorm to hers) the other night because my roommates and I always walk home females at night, whether they're friends or more. She was seemingly being sort of flirtatious, a carefree version of her that's come out more and more lately around me but I hadn't seen as much in the past. There was kino and joking and she was trying to get a rise out of me by singing an annoying song especially when we were walking past guys from my dorm.

Knowing she's very competitive, I jokingly said "Okay, we're going to play the quiet game. First person to talk loses.".. She stopped instantly, but she was smiling, so she knew I was messing around. When we were past the last large group of guys I said "Okay, game over, I lose".. Now I know the scenario is sort of silly, but what happened next sort of caught me off guard. The simplest phrase just totally chucked my instincts in one direction even though my mind warned otherwise.

She turned to me, still smiling, and asked "What do I win?".. I sort of froze, I said ".. What?" and she continued and said "What's my prize?" ... Okay, Seddit. Some threads have said assume attraction, so hey, at this point with another girl I may likely have gone for the kiss after that flirting and kino when she asked that. However, this girl had misled me before and my mind told me she couldn't mean it the way my instincts said she did.

What do you think, Seddit? I didn't go for the kiss, but should I have? Is this girl bad news? Should I continue to test the water with my new knowledge of IOI's from Seddit? Please advise, HQ!

UPDATE (2/28 night): Walked her home again tonight (nothing really happens in my room, have 3 roommates + company in a very confined area). I was going to try to spend some time maybe walking a bit around campus seeing as this is when a lot of the flirting happened last time. Unfortunately, it was raining.. Never fear, I snatched a buddy's umbrella and made a joke and we were off! Now, she's pretty much as type A as they come when it comes to her studies, so she was resistant (but not in a serious/upset way) when I pulled us off the typical route to her dorm. There was kino and joking and talking just like last time.

Eventually We went to cut through the basement of a building where students like to gather. I saw a girl I'm friends with and got some DHV from her when I stopped to chat. The target waited patiently, then when we walked away suggested we go off course and play ping pong in an area the building had for games like that.. I'm nothing special at ping pong, but I did well enough and got a lot of good joking in. Lots of smiling on her part, lots of eye contact that just seemed like more than it does with other girls.. Who knows, maybe that was just my mind. Anyways, playful kino during that game until she insisted she had to go because of a paper that she has due tomorrow for which she hadn't started the reading. It wasn't an excuse because she had mentioned it earlier.

I walked her the rest of the way after that and we talked but I didn't keep up the kino as well as I could have. When we got to her dorm she hugged me (always does, to everyone) and pretty much went straight in. There didn't seem to be a moment to close, but maybe that's because I didn't make one.. Sorry I botched this one, guys. I see her Thursday during the day and we'll get some time at a cafe together but that might be it.. Sort of public to try anything I feel like, but maybe that's just me being paranoid.

I practiced opening with people for confidence today; got a number and a girl to go to a movie (optional class event, so nothing serious) with me (2 separate girls). At least there's that.