I know what you're going through, and my advice would be to casually bring it up. Do you and your friends ever talk about celebrity crushes? If so, you could mention a famous person of your own gender to see how they react. Like Alex said, it's also easier to confess through text or an online chat- when you can't see anyone's face, it becomes less stressful.
I can tell you my experience, in case it helps. I told my best friend I was bi through a facebook chat about a year after I decided I liked girls. I'd been teasing her about a crush she had on an anime character, so I said "you can date him, I'll date his girlfriend ;) (btw, I'm bi, so I don't mind)".