Write a story about an outsider or social outcast who will do anything to fit in.

Posted in Angst on Nov 15, 2024

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✍️ 42 stories

“You Don't Like Me?” by Alex V. Mortis

Submitted to Contest #277

CW: This story contains graphic violence, including mutilation, abduction, and murder."When you look in your mirror, surely you tell yourself you are beautiful. Oh, I am very sure you often tell yourself that. Do you admire your fit body after the gym and tell yourself you are perfect? Or at least think you are?* * *The feeling of rejection followed him throughout his life. It was there when school children pushed him and laughed at his looks. His face wasn't horrific, but it had imperfections—a slightly crooked nose, uneven skin tone, eyes ...

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“Dolphin Girl and Sea Cloud of the Ship Destiny's Dreams ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #277

The rogue wave grasped Marin’s legs, whirled her around, then retreated out to sea, dragging her with it.She fought with her arms and legs, helpless, against the strength of the whole ocean.Then the power of the offshore riptide current caught her and rushed, carrying her farther from shore.She heard distant screams from the people at the beach over the roar of the surf.Water flowed over her head, pressing her downward, and she gasped for air in the darker depths of the sea. Her racing heart pounded.She bobbed to the surface, and saw a glimp...

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“The Chessboard Society” by Jim LaFleur

Submitted to Contest #277

The copper tang of blood lingered in the air—or perhaps it was just his imagination. Lionel's breathing came in shallow bursts, his chest rising and falling in a rhythm that betrayed his mounting dread. The blindfold pressed against his temples, its fabric rough and unforgiving, like sandpaper against his feverish skin. Beyond his darkness, the world pulsed with sound—leather boots scraping against ancient stone, brittle candle flames dancing in an unseen draft, and the low murmurs of the Chessboard Society's cloaked figures. Their voices wo...

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“Run! Run! Run!” by Keba Ghardt

Submitted to Contest #277

Mildred shuffled through the front room when she heard the bell, and then a heavy thud. Turning back the bolt, dropping the chain, and twisting the lock, she opened the big red door and saw the delivery man already halfway down the walk. “Excuse me!” she called. “Coo-ee! I think there’s been a mistake!”The delivery man stopped. He hesitated, and for a moment it seemed like he wasn’t going to turn around, but he did, taking a few halting steps back up the path. “A mistake?”“Yes,” said Mildred, beckoning him closer. “I don’t think the order is...

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“Shortcuts Lead To Dead Ends” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #277

The janitor hit the light switch as he left, leaving the school in darkness before locking the doors. Frank Elliot let out his breath. This bit was always the most anxiety-inducing; would Ol’ Zeph catch him? But Ol’ Zeph had been the caretaker here before God was a student. He performed his duties on autopilot and put in the least effort to not get fired. Ol’ Zeph shuffled about like a zombie, waiting until retirement. Besides, even if he had bothered to do a quick sweep, Frank had hidden himself inside a locker. He discovered it was possibl...

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“Someday A Real Rain Will Come” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #277

CW: Mentions of sexual violence and gun violence“You have to make an effort. You have to try to fit in. You just have to try harder to make some friends.” That, and things like that, are what my parents always told me, and then they would give me my daily dose of Prozac, Xanax and Adderall and whatever else, and then I would just drift off somewhere, trying to make sense of everything. Trying to escape the dark clouds. I was confused and alone. I was always alone. I wanted to get my nose or my eyebrow pierced again. I wanted more black ...

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“Fitting In ” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #277

He had walked alone for too long.At the end of his life, it never emerged as a thought that flashed before his eyes as he recalled his existence just before crossing the bar.There were no parents in sight, no bright light to guide the way, and a profound sense of not belonging lingered in the air. Her eyes shut, and darkness enveloped her. At that moment, an intense heat enveloped him, accompanied by an insatiable thirst that he had never experienced before.Unbeknownst to them, the only problem lay in the fact that they had crossed the bar a...

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“Dragons Fly ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #277

Ursula stood on the precipice, looking toward the distant castle. She pulled her hood close. Tethered nearby, her horse grumbled as it ate from a hay bale.“Why am I here? I should be attending Queen Hannah… not tending livestock.” She looked into the cave at the she dragon. Brooding, Safire rested in her nest. Sunlight from the cave entrance shone off its scales, warming the cave with a rosy glow. Ursula had never seen anything alive so huge. Stepping up to Safire’s eye, she smoothed her hair in the reflection. Safire watched impassively. Ha...

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“The Oath” by Fern Everton

Submitted to Contest #277

CW: This story contains mentions of cult activities (which I do not condone) as well as swearing. Viewer discretion is very much advised. He was short with messy dark hair, clothes that didn’t quite fit him, and he was always clutching a book or video game nobody had heard of. He was quiet, too, sitting in the back of the classroom even when a seat in the midst of the other kids had been offered up to him. He was the last picked for games and group projects— from what I could gather from the kids in his grade, he was “too difficult to work w...

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“But I Don't Want Us To Circle Back” by Maxwell Brooks

Submitted to Contest #277

There is a smile on my face. It’s a good one too; I’ve practiced crinkling the corners of my eyes and making sure it bobs up and down like a wave, following the swell of the conversation. I made myself learn how to turn it off too without letting my eyes show that the strings, tangling all the way down to my heart, have been cut. Severed neatly by their owner. Sometimes it’s best to frown, and nod your head as if to say “‘good point, well made’”. There’s way of doing this – sometimes you must slowly draw down the lips, in direct inverse prop...

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“Many a Fool” by Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #277

Over the centuries, many mortals and fools, have attempted to reach the remote village of Whalescliffe, nestled far between the rocks, forest and sea, protected from the kingdom beyond. Memories of the small hamlet, only accessible from land through the ancient forests, are now lost to time and few have heard stories of the tiny community perched beneath the cliffs, looking out across the cold Elfin Sea. The hidden trails, once woven across the forest floor, are now gone, free from uninvited visitors for longer than living memory. ...

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“The Silk Pillow” by Eliza Troy

Submitted to Contest #277

Rosie’s grandma was razor-sharp.She possessed more knowledge than any grown-up Rosie knew, including her science teacher.Rosie waited in vain for Grandma to miss a Jeopardy question, always stirring sauce or peeling potatoes over the sink while she murmured the answers to herself.Grandma spoke to Rosie in English, but she’d hear her mumble to herself in Greek, yell at the newscasters in Italian, and whisper Mandarin while she watered her plants. Her words folded and flowed like she once lived in the countries themselves.Grandma could explain...

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“Wick in the Rot” by Lynn Cunningham

Submitted to Contest #277

Wick in the Rot The burn on my wrist isn’t bleeding anymore, but it still secretes a watery, golden fluid, the color of honeysuckle nectar. The color of sunlight on a winter morning. The color of codeine cough syrup before the most exquisite sleep. No stench. That’s a good sign. I redress the wound, carefully keeping the bandage beneath my gray sweater cuff. I don’t want questions or pity. There’s no story to tell, anyway. I glance at the clock on the nightstand. I have 20 minutes before bus N8 arrives. Just enough time for a coffee ...

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“Art is Dead” by Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #277

Art is dead. For decades, we all knew it would be killed. We fought, but in vain. At first, we did what artists are expected to do—speak the truth and act as society's mirror. But the authorities privatized cultural institutions and treated them like personal property. Budget theft, public procurement scams, banning plays, films, exhibitions... They decided what could and couldn’t be said.Then, we began speaking the truth in our own names, but anyone who uttered a word against the government was branded a traitor. Some were even barred from ...

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“God Save the Queen.” by Jen Boyle

Submitted to Contest #277

Jess stood at the edge of the group of teenage girls. Only a close observer might have noticed that all the conversations, the jokes,the friendly jostling and hugging was going on around her. She was there ...but not really part of it. She had become expert at this blending in, and her fixed smile, her careful mirroring of the gestures the other girls used, the carefree hair flick, the head tilt, was designed to fool all but the most attentive watchers.Because Jess knew it was a very bad idea indeed to be noticed, or singled out, or not to b...

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Write a story about an outsider or social outcast who will do anything to fit in.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 42 stories

“You Don't Like Me?” by Alex V. Mortis

“Dolphin Girl and Sea Cloud of the Ship Destiny's Dreams ” by Kristi Gott

“The Chessboard Society” by Jim LaFleur

“Run! Run! Run!” by Keba Ghardt

“Shortcuts Lead To Dead Ends” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Someday A Real Rain Will Come” by Thomas Wetzel

“Fitting In ” by Lily Finch

“Dragons Fly ” by John K Adams

“The Oath” by Fern Everton

“But I Don't Want Us To Circle Back” by Maxwell Brooks

“Many a Fool” by Penelope Stansfield

“The Silk Pillow” by Eliza Troy

“Wick in the Rot” by Lynn Cunningham

“Art is Dead” by Ivana Pavićević

“God Save the Queen.” by Jen Boyle

🌟 Similar prompts

Start or end your story with two friends who become enemies/rivals, or vice versa.

Write from the POV of a fairy tale character sharing their side of the story.

Center your story around a character who longs for something they’ve lost.

Write a story with the word “wicked” in the title.

Contest #277

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

328

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: