I (18F) was in a tuition class (after-school tutoring), and it was part of a big academy where I used to go to study. I had been going there since 9th grade. In 11th grade, a new girl joined our class. She seemed a bit awkward at first, but since we were only 8 girls, I decided to start a conversation with her. That girl either gave short answers or just looked at me with dreamy eyes — though I didn’t really notice it at the time because my male friend wanted to hook up with her, and I was just being a good friend trying to get to know her better. Fast forward to the end of 12th grade and the start of university — she confessed that she had a crush on me. I was totally taken aback because I can't even imagine dating her or anyone like that — I’m straight AF. I told her that gently and rejected her as softly as I could because I know how hard that can be. But even now, she keeps texting and trying to start conversations. We used to flirt jokingly, like girls sometimes do, and now whenever she flirts, I still respond the same way because that’s kind of how our friendship was built. But I don't think she’s moving on — it’s been around 8 months since she confessed, and she still texts, flirts, or passes flirty remarks. To make it more complicated, she once said that me flirting back makes her feelings stronger, and I really don’t want that to happen. So, my question is — am I leading her on? Should I stop talking to her entirely, or should I just stop replying to the flirty texts?