Does he like me?

so there’s this guy in one of my classes at school, and he’s quite awkward around people in general so i’ve not really had the chance to speak to him, apart from class debates in which we usually disagree, so i thought he disliked me tbh. however recently i texted asking him a question about an upcoming test (expecting him to leave me on opened) and we ended up talking for hours, and now every time i walk past him in the corridors etc his mates nudge him into me and say “there she isss” etc, despite him not really making an effort to contact me since our last chat, bar some awkward eye contact and staring (my friends have also heard him and his friends talking about me when they walk by)
I’ve considered starting another conversation with him but i’m scared that i’m being annoying and his friends might just be joking around when mentioning me.