I'm sorry about your loss...
...hmmm only three days going into my senior year, and already some of my friends have problems...
dude, i have somewhat been in your shoe before, at one point in time, i wanted to leave my high school because i thought no one wanted me there or i couldn't get along with anyone over there...then i joined the ROTC program and found a lot of friends, and slowly people started to appreciate me and that's how it has been since my freshmen year...
But don't think about high school as a "popularity" spot, trust me, it is not, i for one have pity for the popular and rich kids, because some of them may be popular and have friends ALL over the school, but what about their academics? what about their education? what happens if they get out into the REAL WORLD? would they survive? probably if they are rich, but that is just "being lazy".
I have worked for the position that i am right now, i am not quite popular around the school, but i know a couple of people around my school, and we greet each other and stuff. Most likely the reason why i somehow "attract" people to me is because of my kindness...i am so FREAKIN kind, even when people were bothering me when i was playing DDR in the school's cafeteria while hundreds of people were watching, i still kept a chilled head. That is my thing, i don't try to be someone else and act a different way, i just love being nice, because if you show someone you listen and you care for them, they may think the same about you, and sooner or later, you got a friend. It can my strong point, but it can also be my weak point -_-.
i have yet to enter the "college" era, but i have college experience before, and the students (and adults...somehow) i was amazed that everything went by smoothly, we helped each other out, we had conversations, and i really felt welcome there =)
Just don't really pay much attention about the people in high school, it's basically a really good excuse for teenagers to come together and show everyone "who they are", but it's not really going to matter about what kind of car/purse/clothes/money/how many times you had sex/drugs you have or have done, it all depends on the type of person you are and what you want to accomplish from high school.
I always think that high school is set for teenagers as an elimination, they elminiate the people that will fly by school, cheat, don't do anything, while they push forward the people who are "less" known, have good grades, follow directions, and the such.
about the girlfriend thing, i don't know about that, i haven't gotten a "high school" relationship, but i actually plan on not having one, i plan on excelling in my studies and graduate in white...
hope you feel better and take care =)