Damn, I posted that just as you posted your report Leith. I'm sorry you didn't get your girl but this can lead to even MORE poontang for you, if you learn from your mistakes.
The problem with school is it's a very closed environment, the girl will probably tell all her friends so now they probably won't want to bang you either unless they are hella ugly. So it might be better getting girls from other sources e.g. cold approach. I used to approach girls on the street and in malls.
Obviously no one can give you 100% complete advice because none of us watched it in real life and a LOT of stuff is done by sub-communication which girls are remarkably brilliant at picking up on.
However a number of things are clear. First, you got the LJBF (Let's just be friends). She didn't see you as a "sexual threat" as it were, you were more traditional, go out on a date, and maybe (if you're lucky) get a kiss at the end. You should have disregarded all the religious crap as I said, because I learned from painful experience (similar to pain you may have felt at this experience) that this is all bullshit, and women want a cheerful, slightly cocky and dominant guy to lead her and bang her. Regardless of their logical beliefs, on a raw, emotional level, women are all the same, just as we men all want sex. Unless you have banged her, you should never let a girl know your "secret feelings" for her. Once you had said that to her, she got all she wanted (validation) and she had no need for anything else as she wasn't attracted. In future, you just take her home, act like you know what's going to happen but don't talk about it otherwise her logical mind i.e. "OMG I am not that type of girl" "OMG, I don't do THAT on the first date". Unfortunately, it's just the way it is. Sex comes first. After you've had sex with a girl she will get more attached to you and she will often be the one to declare her "secret feelings" to you first. I think you took too long to ask her out, and you should have maybe seen her for the first time, talked to her, found out a couple cool things about her, genuinely appreciated her for those cool things, and suggested you hang out because she seems quite cool. You pondered, planned, and delayed for too long. All this got you way too far inside your head. That's why I gave you the 15 step plan to follow like a robot. Just do it, forget all the other bullshit. Focus on the goal. Any successful date I ever had was when I did not kiss her until when we were in private and I could escalate it. Also, any successful date I ever had was when I did not give that much of a crap whether I made a dick out of myself. This lead to more ruthless escalation, and I was shocked what I could get away with on the first date. Too many guys "go for the kiss" at the end of the date. But a kiss is nothing, it shouldn't be at the end of the date, it should just be a means to and end in private to make her more horny for further advances.
The mating game is a bit like IM, it's cut-throat. Hot girls seem vulnerable and sweet, and in certain ways they are, but if you aren't up to scratch they would eat you alive and fuck with your emotions like crazy. Make no mistake, spamming all day with Xrumer has led me to become very nervous about getting back into it as well, but I know I have to. I am very rusty but after a period of epic failure and catching up, I know the experiences of ruthless escalation to the win have helped me. You really have just got to dive in there and not give a shit. Escalate ruthlessly yet smoothly, like clockwork, handle a girl's resistance smoothly, and just keep going until you get it. It really is a game, but the girls make it this way. They are master game players and only those who are wise to their tricks and facades will get into their pants. (Or, guys who do everything wrong but are just lucky as hell, yes this happens all the time.)
Don't get down on yourself Leith, we've all been through it. Just learn from it and do better next time.