Dorocche

1. No, the phrase doesn't imply lack of romantic feelings any more than it implies presence of romantic feelings. Especially considering it's a meme these days, used for emphasis rather than for its actual meaning. ^{Unless that meme died already and I'm out of touch already}

2. Don't think in terms of getting "friend zoned." Being friends with this person is not a failure or a disappointment, it would be just as lovely as being friends with them had you no such crush.

3. I highly recommend just asking them out, sooner than later. I speak from experience that denial isn't a huge deal (even at the time as a teenager, I'm not just saying that in retrospect), and that freeing yourself up to maybe ask other people is more important than you may realize (and that's assuming she doesn't say yes, which she could, you never know). Plus just bypassing the anxiety of not knowing.

None of this is religious advice, really, but hey we take all kinds here lol. I hope things turn out for the better.

I don't think what you said is necessarily misreading social cues. The idea of the "friend zone" is very commonly criticized as immature and harmful, so it would hardly be out of place for you to try to discourage that way of thinking.

I didn't mean that as an insult, though I apologize because it definitely does look that way. My bad. I'll edit my comment to try to get that across.

I hold beliefs that people in my life consider extremely fringe as well, though they are very, very different from yours.