Ill try and keep this short and simple.
i literally just turned 17, and i have a great group of mates. my three best main mates are all very attractive. i wish that didnt sound so gay. but they are all my age, and we are seniors in our schoo, and our group i suppose is considered to be fairly good looking guys, and all three of them get with gorgeous girls every weekend.
my problem is, im not as attractive as them. there nothing wrong with me, just im that step below them, ive had too many times girls not be able to get with them, so they go for me, which is ehhhh. only trate i stand out above them rest by alot is im just all round 'a nice guy'. meaning i tend to respect girls more than them.
& the amount of fucked up love circles ive been in involving a girl liking a friend, and my having feelings for her, or the other way around is ridiculous.

what can i do to stand out from my mates at parties, school, in general?

A lot of being "attractive" is the amount of effort you put in. So if you want to be more "attractive," I would recommend changing your style, changing your hair... well I've never seen you but I guess you can ask your friends what to do about all that since they would know you better?

However, I don't think being more attractive is the answer to everything. These girls that are superficially just interested in the looks of your friends aren't worth your time anyway. I think if you're patient, open, and honest, eventually the right girl will see that.

...Well that sounds corny as fuck.

Also, cologne. My personal weakness. (:

Dress better than them. Always. I find that's the best way to stand out.

Couple pointers:

1. Make sure your clothes fit; go to a store, pick a piece you like, try going a size down, then two sizes down, then what you usually wear. Decide which one fits the best, or take a girl with you (they're pretty good at fit) and buy that size. Repeat for every article of clothing you buy (not all stores are the same!)

2. Slim, dark jeans. Self explanatory.

Other than those two bits of advice, most of developing your own style is up to you. But seriously, put effort into your dress; it makes any guy look 500x better.

Also, keep in mind that you're going to college soon, so this probably isn't going to be a long term problem.

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To be attractive doesn't always mean to look good. There are so many thing which attract girls like sense of humor, compliments and intelligence (if you look for serious relationship, which is better than one night standing in my opinion). Just be yourself and you will see how people will prefer to communicate with you more than with others who are pretending to be cool.