What was the question? I can't see one! If the question is "should I go for him", my answer is things don't look like they're going to last long, and it would cause strife. Plenty more fish in the sea....

Well I think the most important thing here is the relationship with your best friend...I think before you try to go anywhere with the guy, you need to tell your best friend how you..are feeling...The two of you should..decided what to do about this...If you two are best friends, it would probably be best if you both backed off him, especially because he is going off to school anyways...
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However, if either of you feel so strongly about this guy that you can't back off, then you should respect each other's feelings and allow each other to be happy...

honestly. what i'm getting is that you like him, but your friend also likes him. as it was said above, as long as your attraction is pure, i think you're okay. -because your friend likes him too, you need to be careful. try to get some info from her. see how much she really likes him, then size it all up. -but before you do anything hasty, try to see if he has feelings for you, or your friend. -or perhaps it's neither of you? (that isn't meant to sound rude, just trying to cover all the bases.) feel things out before you do anything...

there's not exactly a question here, but I guess the question is: What should you do about this guy?..
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one thing I'm wondering: Would you like this guy if it weren't for the fact that he's getting close with your friend? Or does he look a lot better to you than he did before because you realize your friend is attracted to him?..
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But assuming your attraction to him is pure -- i.e...not triggered by his involvement with your friend -- then I guess you have to figure out how to handle it with the guy, and how to handle it with your friend. ..
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Handling it with the guy is the easy part: you find some way to hang out with him, ask him if he wants to meet you sometime for a drink or coffee, and see what happens. ..
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But I think handling it with your friend is the harder part. She confided in you that she likes him, so she'll be upset that now you've decided to go after the same guy. ..
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I'm stumped. So I'll leave it to wiser people here: How should this writer handle it with her best friend??..

Look if time is limited then just tell him you like him! Beat your friend to the punch! It's her fault if she doesn't take initiative, but you can. The worst he can say is that he doesn't like you in that way, and even then if he's leaving for college soon then you wouldn't have much time with him anyways...