Does he like me or not?
I really need help decoding the brain of a boy (he's 13, I'm 15) because his behavior is making zero sense. A little while ago, some younger kids started spreading rumors that I liked him and that I had a code name for him. He kept coming up to me asking what the code name meant, so I eventually told him that a little girl had actually told me that HE liked ME, and that he shouldn't believe rumors. Right after I said that, he looked me dead in the eyes, completely serious and calm, and said “I don't like you”. He said it so clearly, like he really wanted to make sure I got the message.
But ever since then, he has been acting so weird and sending the craziest mixed signals. Later that day, when we were completely alone and I was walking to the store, he randomly came up to me and asked if I was going on my bike. I told him he only saw me do that once, and he said "you always go on your bike when you go to the store" and just shrugged. I don't get why he would strike up a dumb conversation like that when no one is around if he supposedly doesn't like me.
On top of that, he is being super defensive now. Last time we talked, he said he’d like to ride my bike sometime, but when I asked him recently if he wanted to go on it, he was like “No, I really don't need to”. I also asked him why he hasn't been at the playground for so long, and he kept saying “I don't know, I really don't know, busy with school and stuff”. I don't know why he keeps emphasizing "really" for everything now or why he's acting so guarded.
Before the whole rejection thing, I remember wanting to look at something on his phone. As soon as I got close to him on the swing, he started laughing and backing up, yelling "Wait wait wait wait!!" just because I got close to him.
But then there's his classmates. One of his female classmates was at the playground when he found out about the rumors, and now she keeps making fun of me. There is this other girl they know who has short hair and bangs like me, and they keep yelling her name at me and saying we look alike. He was actually the one who originally showed me a photo of her, and he even called my brother to ask if he thought we looked alike too. I'm kind of worried he’s just talking behind my back with his friends.
If he went out of his way to look me in the eyes and tell me he doesn't like me, why is he still noticing my habits, striking up random conversations, and getting super flustered and defensive around me? Is he just playing games or what?