The friend zone is real but it's not a zone, it's a category she filed you into. There's one way out and one way only: pattern interrupt + escalation + willingness to lose her.
The play:
1. Stop being available. No texts for 7-14 days. Don't ghost dramatically, just stop initiating. Live your life. Post things she'll see.
2. One specific date invite. Not "we should hang out sometime." A specific thing, a specific day: "Thursday, 8pm, that wine bar on Mason. You'll like it."
3. Escalate in person. Touch her shoulder/lower back early. Hold eye contact a beat too long. If the energy is there, kiss her by the end of the date. Yes, kiss her. If she pulls away you have your answer and you're free.
The hard truth: 80% of the time you'll get a soft rejection. Take it like an adult. The friendship is over either way, you can't unsay it. Better to know in two weeks than to keep simping for two years.
The guys who escape the friend zone are the ones willing to lose her to win her. The ones who aren't, stay there forever.