@belay: My advice is this. If you aren't sure you want to stick around for the long haul, then get out. It sounds like she has lots of issues, which will be hard on her and on anyone she's in a relationship with. If you really like her, and you want to make it work, then you should probably back off a bit emotionally. Here's what I mean. Hang around, keep it relatively casual, and just continue to be there for her. It sounds like she has some trust issues. The way to build trust is to be trust-worthy day after day after day. Over time, if you earn it, she will probably come to trust you. But don't try to force her into an emotional closeness that she isn't ready for. That can be very counter-productive. You're both young, and 7-8 months really isn't that long. Give it another year or so, and see if things change very much by then. Patience is extremely hard in a young relationship, but I believe it's necessary. Try to step back and objectively decide if she will ever open up to you, or if you think it's never going to happen.

Hope that helps. Relationships are hard.