Help with this typical boy/girl drama?

There’s a popular roller skating rink in my town where a lot of kids my age like to go. At this place there is a group of kids whose parent’s all work there and so every Friday and Saturday night the kids come to skate. I’ve only gone a couple of times and usually with a large group of friends but about a month ago I went with just my mom and brother. During the couples skate one of the kids who are usually there asked to skate with me, we didn’t talk much and after the song we just said bye. Several of the really young kids who have parents there (between 9 and 10 years old maybe) started bothering me about the boy because they were his friends even though I did not know them. I was getting really angry when another boy, one who was older than the others, came up to me. I thought he was going to ask stupid questions like the others all had but he didn’t. Instead the boy introduced himself as Chris and apologized for the other kids being stupid. I thought at this point he would just skate away and be done with it but instead he started a conversation with me and we talked for a long time. At one point a friend of his came over and was introduced to me as his best friend and also the brother of Chris’s ex-girlfriend. The friend (I don’t remember his name) asked me my name and when I told him he smiled and said “Nice to meet you but watch your back. My sister is already jealous that you’re stealing her man.” Chris swatted the kid away and we went back to talking till the very last song played and we had to clear the floor. One of the things we talked about was why his friend had asked me to couples skate and it turned out that they had all decided to ask one girl to do it and when Chris had mentioned he thought I was “hot” his friend had asked me instead of letting Chris. Chris also told me that after that his friends tried to get him to ask someone else but (and these are his exact words) “the only girl I wanted to skate with had already been taken.” While exiting the floor he made me promise him that I would say hi the next time I came back to the skating rink.

The next day was my brother’s birthday and wouldn’t you know it, he wanted to go skating again. When we got to the rink I saw that Chris was there and I was going to say hi but a little girl who goes to my school (she is one of the regulars at the rink because her dad is the DJ) came up and asked me if I was back because I liked Chris and I wanted to flirt with him. I told her no because even though Chris is attractive and he is really nice I don’t know him (that and according to what Chris had told me the night before she had a crush on him AND she was good friends with his ex-girlfriend). I also didn’t want the girl to tell him that I liked him and seem creepy. That whole night went by and Chris and I didn’t talk at all but every once in a while I would catch him looking at me or it seemed like he was talking about me but we would both look away awkwardly. During the couples skate that night one of the kids who is always there asked me to couples skate and I said yes (I feel bad saying no and this kid was like 9 so it was kind of gross) even though I didn’t want to. I went home never having talked to Chris that night.

The next week a friend who I had told about this whole story went to the rink with someone else and apparently told Chris that I said for her to tell him hi even though I didn’t. She told me that he remembered me and said “Oh, thanks” and smiled.

Then this past Friday night I went back to the skating rink and once again Chris and I totally ignored each other except for awkward peeks and quickly looking away. Not just that but it also seemed a bit like he was avoiding me. To avoid any more unwanted couple’s skates I just held my brothers hand during that portion of the time and successfully avoided anything that may or may not have happened.

So, what I want to know is why Chris might be avoiding me and should I just forget about him?

I don’t know if the girl who goes to my school or his ex-girlfriend told him maybe a lie about me or something and if so what I should do.

Mainly though, I want to know if on Friday (I’m going with two of my best friends who said if I don’t say hi to him then they will for me) I should say hi or not? If I should say hi then how should I go about doing that?

Extra Information: I know this might be weird but he’s a year and a half younger than me but I don’t really care. I just kind of want to be friends with him but I feel like I’ve done something wrong.

Is it wrong for a girl to approach a guy? I’m also a little nervous because he’ll probably be surrounded by his friends.

Okay, sorry it’s so long. Thanks guys!!! Xoxo, Lexi*