Search Results: starting a conversation with a girl

So this girl at my night job has been on my mind. I rarely see her because she doesn't work every night with me. When I do see her I would like to start a conversation with her but she acts very strange

I have slightly more authority than her so when I do see her It's because she's working in my section. The weird thing is that she won't talk to me. Like she always hangs out with this is older lady and like if she has a question she asks the lady to ask me while she stands behind her silently. Out of all the girls I've ever encountered I have never had one act like this with me. Even girls that I know don't like me still talk to me.
I can remember one time where she came to ask me to do something for her and she just blurted it out and wouldn't talk to me afterwards. She basically just yelled "I NEED YOU OVER THERE!" and I was like, "uh sure, how are you today?" I smiled and she did smile back while she walked next to me, but she never said a word after that. I tried again, "man we've been kinda busy today haven't we"? She just smiled again and looked at me but she never responded 😑

So the most recent case of this happening is the other night at work. I got there kinda early and we were all just standing around waiting to clock in. She came in with that same older lady and starting getting ready for work. She wore her hair down and I told her, "your hair is different today", she smiled and said, "YEAH I TOOK IT DOWN!" and that was the last I heard from her all night 😑.
So what the hell is going on? Why won't she hold a conversation with me and should I try again? I just want to get close enough to her to ask her for her number and see if she wants to go out but I feel like I can't because she refuses to respond to the simplest of questions. But if she thought I was repulsive or something she wouldn't smile when I talk to her right?

I've known this girl for 2 years since starting university, a simple description would be a gleeful -- odd but outgoing -- focused person aspiring to go to medical school. Me on the other hand, A former anxiety-ridden guy who likes molecular genetics, top of the class but my social life does not exist (2 hour cummute to uni everday).

I saw just another uni friend, yet, I think through her being occasionally with my vicinity (e. g. at meeting events or elsewhere) we both got to know each other on a casual friends level. I knew she was getting comfortable around me; conversations ranged from random mundane stuff to deeper family issues on both sides. I began thinking "maybe, just maybe this person is a tad bit interested in me".

She had invited me to a Korean restaurant with 2 other uni friends we both knew (a homosexual and a guy already with a girlfriend, both similar age). Due to uni work, she cancelled -- which was understandable.

She calls out of the blue and we have plans to go to so the movie "Glass". in short, we were going alone together but I stupidly invite another friend who's 30 and the day involved me not really engaging much (it sucked). We both could tell she was uncomfortable and her excuse to not see the movie after we ate were because she could tell that I was tired and pretty much not enjoying this (which was true). life goes on.

She agrees to go to another restaurant with me (I initiated) and because I have slowly lost interest I cancel this a day before with the excuse -- I have a meeting (that I had no intentions of going to).

The next day I sit next to her in a lounge and things are normal, she had new earrings and dress and the conversation is fine albeit she seems to always try and get me talking despite me not initiating at all.

The signs?
Responds quickly whenever I text
gives me the same nicknames she calls her girlfriends
very touchy during conversations
Leaning in when we talk?
asks me what I think of the things she wears.