Why is she acting dramatic over this situation?

have an assignment with an ex-friend. I went to her house to let her know about it. we were just civil with each other. few days later, I went back to let her know what I have accomplished so far with the assignment. then while we were sitting down at her table, she read it over. then she says that the material was well done, but that she has one problem. I was wondering if it was about the assignment. the she starts pouring out all her feelings about my distancing myself from her since March. she says that she has been praying to get me back as her friend. and now for me to just come and do an assignment with her when that is tension between us, has amazed her. she says she has been praying about us for months and that she believes god has answered her prayer for me to have the assignment with her. the problem she says she is that we are to present it and it would feel like pretense. I remember on one occasion after I stopped talking to her, she told me she had a dream about me. I did not answer her. now when she is telling me how I made her feel, she says if I want to stop talking to her, I should have gave her warning about it and about how long I would do it for. she says I really hurt her so badly when I stopped talking and being around her. She told me every day she cries over me and she even break down in tears to someone else about my not talking to her and she doesn't know why. the thing is, from the time I started, she has asked me, and I told her not to worry about it, that its not her, its me. but she doesn't buy it. then even throughout that time. she is been sick a lot. I thought she just wanted attention form everyone. but now when she is telling me all of this, she said all he sick episodes, she has been thinking about me, and wished and wondered what happened. that she could know. and now she tells me she wants me back. she thought I was going to be her very best friend. I was not aware that she told our other friends in tears, about how I hurt her. what shall I do? I really think she took me too seriously, and keeps crying about me. I told her that maybe she thought too highly of me than I did of her. she looked down sad-faced and said, "i think so". she's telling me she's been crying and getting sick because I stopped talking to her. says everyday she is crying in her room. I am a girl and that that's to weird. I was so suprised by everything she is purring out to me around her kitchen table. she told me she could not keep in her hurt, and went to talk to the wife of my enemy adn broke down before her in tears abt me.
Am I really being cruel. can't I just talk to whomever I want and not to whomever I dont want to? (We are both female. I am in my 20's she is in her early 40's)

You have a right to avoid or talk to whomever you want. Your description of her reads like she may be suffering from depression or mentally unstable in some way. Anything you could do to get her into some counseling would be a nice gesture but it's not something you're obligated to do.

To be honest, I thought she was in high school until you got to the last sentence. I agree, there does seem to be some instability and unhealthy mental behavior going on with her (I'm not a doctor...). In my opinion, no healthy person should should have another person as the center of their universe this way. I think that gets way to far into codependent land. There must be more going on with her, as in things/issues that have little to do with you that you are maybe triggering or representing in her mind... something isn't quite on.

My suggestion would be to stay away once the assignment is finished. If you can't work with her, talk to the prof to see if an alternative can be arranged.