Asked a girl I like out, says she doesn't want to hurt me or ruin our friendship?

So I've known this girl for at least 9 years, we all used to be childhood friends. Now in high school, I've started to reconnect with her a bit more. And so I eventually told her that I felt really attracted to her and asked her out. She told me that I probably shouldn't, because she was at a place in her life where she doesn't really stick to anybody and she was a little messed up right now (probably due to the fact that her mother, a family friend of mine, recently passed about a month and a half ago, probably a lame move on my part). Then she went on to say that I'm not another guy, but someone she's known half her life and someone she really cares about, and that she had had a crush on me before but then made some stupid choices that she wasn't proud of, and that it just wasn't a good idea for her right now. She says she just doesn't want me to be hurt or angry. But then it's like she still texts me a lot, says she wants to see me, invites me to go with her to places, I still catch those glances a lot when I'm around her, and always tries to sit next to me when we're in a car together or something. Just confused by the whole situation.