I'm going to pretend to be someone who knows what she's talking about and start giving a bit more personal feedback on stories for the semi-finals. Also will help me think about how I can improve my own writing:

Friendship: I read in an book that friendship is also competition. One may feel a sense of comradeship, but there's also so many other emotions. When two people have a moment, they both have their own desires, and those desires are due to the personal histories of the characters, which in turn, create their individual personalities and how they interact. If you can portray all this in writing somehow, you've made something compelling.

However, doing this in any way other than in sincerity may come off as manipulative.

Every person wants something. To portray a want or desire - especially one that conflicts - is what makes a compelling story in my opinion. The level of detail and focus you put on the individual moments of your story should depend on how fast you want the story to be paced.

I personally think I write best when I am in some sort of emotional state. Then, I'm not merely writing what's happening, but I'm using all these details to try to truly express my feelings. This adds a layer to the story that I think readers pick up on. It might be the edge you need.