It's my turn now :8

There's a girl at my college, we've been friends since like, year 7 so like, 5 years or so. She kind of admitted her 'admiration' for me in year 10, I think, although I decided to decline for various reasons.

She's genuine enough, she's down to earth, up for whatever, loyal etc. There's just possibly one problem. My best mate who I've been friends with ever since I was 1 year old, so they say, has a girlfriend and they both 'hate' her with a passion. Maybe hate isn't a strong enough word, but yeah.

I could talk them round easily enough but I don't want to sacrifice a friendship [even though it's slowly breaking apart, the friendship] for a relationship so I'm kind of split between. I know if I ask her she'd most probably say yes, and I think it's 'now or never' time for me due to, again, various reasons.

So yeah, help please