<human>: Long story short, female friend, known her a long time, I felt like she was dropping hints and after pursuing her a bit, I feel she is either playing hard to get, or is using my attention for validation.

She's been sending mixed signals.

I've been contemplating talking to her about it and possibly getting some distance from her for a while.

Is this a good idea? Should I talk to her about it first, go straight to telling her I need space for a while, or just avoid her and not say anything? My impulse is to say something, but I don't know if that is the best course of action. I don't want to come off as needy or desperate. I also want to try and avoid the whole "confessing your feelings" vibe.

I would ideally like to talk to her in person about this, but because I've been extraordinarily busy, I might have to text her. If need be, would texting her be OK?

We're also both 21 if that makes a difference

Can you summarize the given text in a few sentences?
<bot>: Thinking about talking to a female friend about her mixed signals. Is that a good idea? Is texting her in this situation a bad idea?