I hope she only made that joke because she chickened out too.

ouchhhhhh.... kinda both a good and bad thing that it worked out like that move on, its not worth it

I've been there bro, and it sucks, FML

As has been noted, you may have hurt her feelings by saying you were kidding, plus it's very tricky getting a "friend-zone" girl to go out with you. There's no solution to either problem at this point. The first would be solved by either being a man and saying what you feel (no backing out), or not saying anything at all. This is where you screwed up badly. Once you say it, you have to stick with it and accept whatever comes of it, or you end up with a bad situation like you've landed yourself in now. Now you're even more afraid she's not into you like that, and if she IS, she's probably hurt that you "joked" about it. The second is solved by asking out a girl you're interested in before you're in that comfortable friend-zone. This is only possible assuming you've not been friends since you were very young. I can't say whether you screwed this up without knowing your exact situation. This assumes you're a guy. If you're a girl, just reverse the genders. I think the second problem is slightly less of an issue with guys, speaking as a guy, but it's still an important consideration.

You shouldn't have chickened out. You know what you did? You jerked her around. She's almost certainly heard or pulled that shit before from the really cool guy who she really liked-- "Oh, I like you-- psyche!" It's kindergarten bullshit, and if you respect her and genuinely like her, you should be straight with her. Otherwise, you're just a jerk playing with her emotions and yanking the rug out from under her feet. I married my best friend 11 years ago. Still married. It is possible to find love and friendship in the same place if you're not a jerk.

What if she reads this? and #77, **** you.

It's hard to date your best friend. it won't work out in most cases.

I've been through something similar with one of my best friends for over 3 years, and it really sucks to get rejected. =( In may case, she ended up with the guy who used to be my best friend, (which was until he got with her knowing full well that I was devastated by her rejection, AND that she had a boyfriend) and I no longer speak to him, and my friendship with her is hanging by a thread. The real kicker? The whole reason they had a chance to get together was because I'd invited him along to a social gathering (which she was at) for emotional support. Days later she dumped her boyfriend and went out with him. FML indeed... (But at least I gave him a nice punch in the face to remember me by)

I've done the the same thing... only with asking to Formal.

aww :( why would you want to be with someone that mean anyway?