Sorry for the megapost, but I came here as a last resort, so now for anyone to help they need to hear my boring story.
I don't know what to do, I've known this girl for most of my life, we are both 17, she has always given me signs that she likes me up until I started (lightly) flirting with her, like she's done for years - she told me she liked me when I was 12 and ever since has flirted on and off with me. I know being 12 has no bearing on today, but she's been consistently flirting with me, and I've liked her for years myself.
I have liked her for a long time, and we grew up together. I've never said anything before but that is because I didn't want to ruin a friendship. I moved away a few years ago and now that we have grown apart some, I wouldn't have anything to loose if I tried to start a relationship with her, and if things went bad - I don't have to worry about any awkwardness.
I started messaging her on Facebook since we can't see each other in person. I thought things were going good, we were talking back and forth and then I asked her if the number I had was still her current one (I hadn't used it in over a year) and she was outside of coverage for about a week, using Facebook. She never responded. Which is odd, I thought. I have known her for all my life, already had her number. "Oh well, it was stupid of me to ask anyway I should have waited and sent a message". I waited a few weeks so as not to look desperate, and I messaged her again (I never brought up the number, or tried using it).
We haven't really had a good conversation since. It takes her a long time to get back to me, but every time she does she uses smiley faces, sounds excited like nothing happened (but she never messages first, or gives me anything to actually respond back with anymore). After being fed up with waiting weeks sometimes to get a response and when I did it was like she is trying to subliminally get me to stop talking WHILE making it look like she was interested in me, I waited a few weeks myself to message back (again, nothing to respond to anyway). I asked her if she still played volleyball, and also said, "Oh, by the way I like your new profile picture!". She saw the message, hasn't responded since, which is 2 weeks tomorrow.
I am going to see her next month which is something I never get to do. I'll be at a camp for a week with her, and I was planning on catching up over Facebook, and over the week get to know her better again in person. Then at the end, I was going to tell her how I felt if she looked interested. I've been looking forward to this for months and now (she is still single, if it means anything she's never been in a relationship) she did a 180 and starts acting like she doesn't know me well.
My main question: Because she has only been treating me like this for a few months and the other times she gives me signs she likes me, but ONLY in person (brings up inappropriate topics, hugs me randomly a little too long and smiles a lot), how do I handle telling her? The distance between us will not be an issue since I can move back at anytime now. Should I tell her when I see her? Or should I not, and if things go good try to start messaging again and then tell her later on? I only want to tell her in person so if I don't now, it will be a while.
Please tell me what you would do in my position.