Everybody's tax situation is different. In order to compare with your friends you would have to have the exact same income, the exact same withholdings, the same Health Insurance or lack of through the marketplace, the exact same marital status and number of dependents and be the same age.
If you made more or they had more withheld or they had a dependent, your refunds would not be the same.
So without looking at the entire picture, it would not be possible to say why they had a refund while you had to pay in.
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