How to ask out a crush?

[TheRameyFuzz]

(I apologize ahead of time for the length, if you want you can just read the last paragraph.)

So there's this guy, he's one year older than me and we're in band together (both percussionists). Anyway, months ago I started liking him, he seemed really cool, funny, and totally adorable. Well my friend, Maria, figured out I liked him and I guess thought it'd be fun to tell him. She's told him times a plenty now, "Rachel likes your face." (Rachel's my name.)

Soon after school started (I was in summer band when I met him) I realized... he has a girlfriend. So I focused on being his friend, to pretty-much no avail. It's mainly Maria's fault. She kept telling him I liked him, even got a couple of my other friends to do it too. The worst thing she did was text him using my phone, I may want to mention he didn't know I had his number. Don't worry though, I apologized just like I did every time Maria did anything weird like that. He normally laughs at this... see, cool guy.

So anyway, right before Christmas break Maria informed me that there's a chance he might be single. Here's her logic: On Facebook, right under his profile picture it normally said, "in a relationship with **** ********." Now, it says nothing. Keep in mind I learned this a week and a half ago.

Ever since I've gotten back from Thanksgiving break I've been trying to figure out, "IS THIS GUY SINGLE!?" I didn't want to ask him because he knew I liked him, or at least had heard it plenty of times by multiple people. After a while, I finally got someone I sort of know to ask him if he's single. So, with me in a separate room she asked him, "My friend Rachel wants to know if your single." His response, "I can't answer that right now."

So now, I'm torn between asking him out or waiting. Although we know each other things are awkward between us. I REALLY, REALLY want to ask this guy out, but I'm not sure he's single or what he'd say. So my question for you is either, "Should I ask this guy out?" and if so, "How?"

Thank you so much! >^..^<