She'll flirt/insult me, but she's the first to defend me??

Question

So she's the first to call me a "stupid boy" or call me something slightly mean. Yet she does this in her joking voice. While flirting.
And she's notified me at one point or another that shes joking, for each name she calls me.
She does it playfully.
Trust me- I've seen her get pissed at ppl and she's very different.

However I have a few friends who go to the same lunch period she does, and if she hears my name, she's the first one to jump up. The friends I have at that lunch are closer friends, however they aren't paranoid about my name.

And if I admit to being the bad name she called me (cocky, or stupid) she's the first to defend me. She'll give me an entire lecture on how I'm definitely not like that....and I'm thinking "woah you must have thought this one out."

btw- I'm not cocky (but I pretend to be sometimes) and lol stupid is the last thing that comes to mind when most ppl describe me.

Basically if others mention my name she becomes defensive of me...

THE QUESTION: Is this kind of behavior what you would expect, from someone who likes you???

btw....she only teases me in private.
When I'm outside w/her, or when she's alone (my friends are my eyes and ears for this one) she's very protective of me...

Answer 1

It sounds to me as if she likes you a LOT, at least as a person.

She may or may not know what her feelings are otherwise.

Probably, she'd like very much for you to have affectionate/romantic feelings for her.

Alternatively, she may truly think you are a bit immature, and be waiting more or less impatiently for you to "grow up" a bit.

Answer 2

Not at all. This is the type of behavior from somebody who doesn't like you all that much, but sees you could potentially like them, so they play games (treat you like a yo-yo) for their own amusement. Don't let anyone toy you around.