Paige Leppanen

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2020

Stories (21)

21 Stories

628 karma pts

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“Solipsism” by Paige Leppanen

Abby didn’t curl her hair often, but today she wanted to look perfect. Her lips were stained red and her black lashes elongated. Every time she moved she sparkled—she’d tried a new body shimmer spray and she couldn’t stop admiring her arms as she stretched them out in front of her. Yet she knew enough about men to know that she didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, so she dressed casually but ...

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“Standard” by Paige Leppanen

Emily shuddered when her leg bumped an upright headstone. The dark granite color reminded her of the counters in Michael’s apartment: cold, impersonal, and dreary. “I’m sorry,” she said to damp grass in front of the headstone. She wasn’t a paranoid person but didn’t want to take any chances. Not after everything that had happened the past five years. A man at a nearby grave looked at her quizzically for a...

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“Lucidity” by Paige Leppanen

It had been seven years since Beth died. Norman still felt pain when he looked at the framed picture on his bedside table. His roommate, Big John, told him the picture was beautiful. It was of them in their first home, Beth holding their first baby. The joy in their faces could be felt by anyone who looked at that photograph. Everyone knew Norman was a sentimental man. He didn’t bring much...

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“First Date” by Paige Leppanen

There weren’t a lot of places to go on a first date in Grey Ridge. Going to a fast-food restaurant hardly felt romantic. The park was littered with trash and the movie theatre seemed to have a perpetually open vacancy for the janitor position. The city was an hour drive and that was simply too much for a first date, especially a blind one. Jason wasn’t sure his car could make it much further than the burger joint, anyway...

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“Twenties” by Paige Leppanen

She doesn’t feel like writing today. Her head feels foggy, her words lost inside. She tells others she doesn’t have any original ideas. That isn’t quite true; she wants to write about the unique scenes in her mind. She thinks another author could turn her ideas into a New York Times bestseller, but she can’t make it past a few pages. She doesn’t believe she can. Maybe if I wasn’t so lazy. Maybe if I paid more attenti...

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“Down a Narrow Lane” by Paige Leppanen

“We’d have never taken that oath before—” “Quiet, Sarah. They’ll hear.” Anthony shoves his clammy hand over my mouth. I consider biting it but know that we can’t draw attention to ourselves. The time for childish retaliation is long gone. Anthony seems to sense that I’ll remain silent and slowly moves his hand back to his side. We continue to walk, side by side, down the narrow lane. We ha...

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“Empty Clichés” by Paige Leppanen

January 1st, the dawning of a new year, the time for resolutions we never keep…all the clichés felt empty. I should have spent New Year’s Eve out with my partner and his friends, taking shots of whiskey and shooting confetti cannons when the ball dropped. Instead, because of the events of the year, I sat at home, curled up in my recliner, tucked under a soft blanket, watching reruns of nineties sitcoms.

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“Namesake” by Paige Leppanen

It is not easy to live inside your head. Maybe I’m the only one who feels that way. How else can others so easily decide what to wear, where to go, what to say and to whom, how to act, or how to feel? Every decision must be analyzed, or so my mind thinks. Every day, every possible consequence for every possible decision must be weighed. If I make the wrong choice, something dreadful will happen. So I mustn’t make that ch...

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“Faded Overalls” by Paige Leppanen

North Carolina is 1,332 miles away according to the online map I’m looking at. The flight time isn’t too bad, but driving would be an all-day event. Possibly longer the way Sarah drives. She insists on stopping anytime she sees something that looks fun and, preferably, inexpensive. It makes for a great adventure when I’m in the mood for it yet a long trip when I’m in a hurry. I took it for granted, though. I never though...

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“Jasmine and Blackcurrant” by Paige Leppanen

Chantelle didn’t usually leave much at Cory’s house. Once in a while she forgot a jacket or, once, her housekey. She’d never asked to leave a toothbrush there, and he’d never offered, so she typically kept it, a change of clothes, and other potential necessities packed neatly in a satchel. That was why she was shocked when Cory emerged from his basement with a small flowered purse and interrupted her ...

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“All About the Lingo” by Paige Leppanen

Veronica stared up at the bright red signal on the only traffic light in Myersville. There was no cross traffic at the intersection, nor any across the road. She sighed and looked at the time. She had not missed this about her hometown.Myersville was the type of town that turned a blind eye to teen drinking but turned their noses up at sex ed. “My kids are smarter than that,” parents would say, assuming their teens had the inherent knowledge that condoms prevented pregnancy, assuming their teens would never cross that li...

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“A Young Teacher's Will” by Paige Leppanen

It’s all because of our bi-monthly teacher’s brunch that I’m sitting in my living room on a Saturday night, preparing to make a will. We met at Laurel Johnson’s house for the first time since January, all wearing face coverings until brunch was served. We sipped mimosas and talked about our fears of returning back to school when the subject came up. Everyone except me had made their final arrangements, citing coronavirus...

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“Pawn” by Paige Leppanen

“A soirée,” Benjamin whispered as he took my coat, “is the only marketing technique you’ll ever need.”“Ah, won’t the marketing department be thrilled to hear that,” I replied, glancing around the room. I was fighting the urge to correct him, as this was a simple business cocktail party, but my mission was to have a naïve mind, ready to benefit from the wisdom his father’s money had given him.“Not for the company. For marketing yourself.” I raised a brow and he sighed. “You know what I mean. It’s only ou...

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“August Storms” by Paige Leppanen

Every August, we get at least two days with rain. This, unfortunately, is one of those days. I’m grateful for the excuse to collect my thoughts in privacy, though. The radio is cranked up and I’m checking my bag for the fifth time today, ensuring I have the essentials: my laptop, folders, textbooks, notebooks, pens, highlighters, sticky notes, a stapler, staples, index cards...I love back-to-school shopping for my kids, ...

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“S.T.” by Paige Leppanen

Julia struggled as she pushed the old desk out from its corner in the spare room. She knew when she bought the house that it had been vacant awhile, and she was excited to have a “fixer-upper,” as her real estate agent called it. Even so, she felt unprepared for how long it was taking. She’d restored every hardwood floor in the Victorian house except this one.As she started to sweep where the desk had been, she saw something in the dust pile catch the light. She kneeled down and cautiously sifted through the filth. A wri...

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Author bio

Millennial writer who is passionate about mental health. Semicolon and Oxford comma enthusiast. https://paigeleppanen.wordpress.com