Cutting and Crushing on the gay guy?

Since I graduated from middle school last year, I've kind of lost touch with quite a few people that I wanted to maintain friendships with, really only talking to a select group of friends. There's this one girl that I'd had a crush on when I was younger, from about third grade to sixth grade, that I managed to keep in touch with. And from what she recently told me, it seems like it's been a burden for her to be near me.

One of our mutual friends (let's call her Ana) who happens to go to the same school as her recently texted me and informed me that she had recently been depressed. This greatly upset me, because this friend (let's call her Sarah) was always so upbeat and happy and fun to be around. And, being me, I decided to text Sarah and ask her how everything was going.

It started out simple enough, with the "We haven't talked in forever" and "I miss you so much". So I ask her what's up, and she tells me she's going on a date tomorrow and I'm all "oh that's cool, what's he like, what's his name". Then, I bring up that Ana told me she was depressed. She told me how she used to cut and that she hates herself and her body, and I tried to lighten the mood a little but it didn't really work. She apparently carved the word "fat" into her thigh, which she is FAR from. Sarah started ranting about how she wasn't pretty and how she was fat and stupid. So I told her that she was beautiful, that she was one of the coolest people I knew. I gave her the whole "cutting is bad" shpiel and reminded her that no one is perfect, that I hate myself sometimes too and told her I was proud of her for getting over that bad point in her life and that she was seeing a therapist and psychiatrist.

I told Sarah that I felt kind of bad that she was opening up to me and telling all of her secrets, so I felt I should do the same and I told her that I had been thinking for a while and had finally realized I was gay. She told me that she and Ana had always assumed I was. And this is where it gets interesting.

She told me that she really liked me, and that she had since about fifth grade when I still had a crush on her. Because I had told her that I was biromantic, she asked me if I would go out with her. I took this as "would I go out with a girl", not literally "would I go out with this girl in particular", but I finally told her that I would possibly go out with her.

Sarah is one of my closest friends, and I'm not attracted to her in the least bit, I got over her easily as she never reciprocated my feelings until now. But my two main concerns are why she brought them up now that I had come out to her and why she decided to ask me if I would go on a date with her. I'm worried that if I don't go out with her or something like that she might go back to cutting or relapse into depression again. Help?!?!

 

I have no interest in dating her, but I don't know if she realizes that. When she asked me if I would date her, I told her that I would go out but I was still speaking more in a hypothetical context, not because I was interested, and also because I didn't really want to upset her. I did mention afterwards that something like that might ruin our friendship and I didn't want our friendship to be tarnished. She wouldn't stop talking about how I was hot and that she liked me, apparently she blew off her date for me, which makes me feel even more guilty...

Yes, she is seeking help. She's been talking to a therapist and a psychiatrist, as well as discussing it with one of her friends who went through the same kind of thing.

It was helpful! Thanks for your insight.