@vitiate1979,
try and try and try again never give up and never surrender.
Tell her how you feel about her and ask her out. I gave that advice to somebody and it worked out for them.
As a young adult people are shy. I find that most younger people are so paranoid and especially when your main-street has people that are homeless and dresses up so. It becomes impossible to approach anybody.
I agree with Bobby Fisher. The best people in life are tourists and students. Once people become local employees they stop being people and start being robots. Next stop is the grave, because for people ( especially girls ) all they do is raise children and if anything try to be something amazing before they start "looking old".
Imagine a twenty year old who keeps passing herself off as "Lolita" only because she has no breasts and no arse. Imagine what that looks like in her old age especially if she is not fit. Yes she might gain mother-of-pearl-breasts
in her late twenties or thirties but beyond that she being prepared for one thing in life. To be somebodies "flesh-tight" and nurse children. I know this is going too far but that is the reality of people.