Okay. Here's my two cents from a girl's point of view.
If I were here, I'd be going and expecting to go as friends. If she's not a lesbian, (which for god's sake don't ask her that.. I'll explain in a second), then if you pop out anything about your feelings for her, it's a huge thing. You don't just drop that on someone, especially when she's heading into this thinking it's just as friends. I myself am going to my friend's senior prom with him, as friends, and I'm not expecting him to announce his feelings for me. He better not, or I don't know how I'd respond.
As for asking her her sexuality, there's a thing called "de-closeting" someone. If she is lesbian and confided in her friend, but hasn't told you, she obviously isn't open about it, and thus her friend de-closet'd her by revealing it to you. You do NOT want to put her into an awkward situation where she is forced to disclose her sexual preference, that will officially kill your evening. That, and it might kill the friendship of whoever told you.
Have you considered her quiet way of saying 'taken' may not have been a wishful way of saying she wasn't, but that she didn't want questions applied to it?
So me, myself, I would stress you keep this strictly friends, for your friendship's sake. If you come on too strong, she's going to hole up, and there goes your chance.
Just be yourself, and let your actions remind her why you both have been friends for so long.
If she does like you, then it will grow off of your friendship into something, as corny as it sounds, beautiful.
My fiance and I were good friends before we realized we were falling in love, so trust me, just continuing to be friends is about the best you can possibly do.
And also, why are you afraid of losing her friendship? The magic of technology can solve all distances now, you can keep in touch with her on IM, through Myspace or Facebook, or find a common site to hang out on.
If I were here, I'd be going and expecting to go as friends. If she's not a lesbian, (which for god's sake don't ask her that.. I'll explain in a second), then if you pop out anything about your feelings for her, it's a huge thing. You don't just drop that on someone, especially when she's heading into this thinking it's just as friends. I myself am going to my friend's senior prom with him, as friends, and I'm not expecting him to announce his feelings for me. He better not, or I don't know how I'd respond.
As for asking her her sexuality, there's a thing called "de-closeting" someone. If she is lesbian and confided in her friend, but hasn't told you, she obviously isn't open about it, and thus her friend de-closet'd her by revealing it to you. You do NOT want to put her into an awkward situation where she is forced to disclose her sexual preference, that will officially kill your evening. That, and it might kill the friendship of whoever told you.
Have you considered her quiet way of saying 'taken' may not have been a wishful way of saying she wasn't, but that she didn't want questions applied to it?
So me, myself, I would stress you keep this strictly friends, for your friendship's sake. If you come on too strong, she's going to hole up, and there goes your chance.
Just be yourself, and let your actions remind her why you both have been friends for so long.
If she does like you, then it will grow off of your friendship into something, as corny as it sounds, beautiful.
My fiance and I were good friends before we realized we were falling in love, so trust me, just continuing to be friends is about the best you can possibly do.
And also, why are you afraid of losing her friendship? The magic of technology can solve all distances now, you can keep in touch with her on IM, through Myspace or Facebook, or find a common site to hang out on.