Paige Leppanen

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2020

Stories (24)

24 Stories

651 karma pts

?

“Pawn” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #56

“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 outside the office that things happen the...

2 comments 2
Read story

“August Storms” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #54

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, but it was even more fun buying school supplies for myself. No minor breakdowns because I accidentally bought a pink glitte...

0 comments 0
Read story

“S.T.” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #43

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 wrinkled old grocery lis...

2 comments 2
Read story

“A Million Scrapbook Moments” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #35

Kennedy hated dances. No, that wasn’t true. She hated that her friends hated dances. None of her friends were very interested in getting together beforehand to do their makeup or curl their hair. Nobody wanted to dance, unless it was a slow dance, and those were always uncomfortable. Where were you supposed to look during that? Were you supposed to talk or stare into each other’s eyes? What if you didn’t even like your dance partner all that much?Senior prom would be different, though. Kennedy could feel it. For the first time since the fres...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Picture” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #34

“Are hangover headaches supposed to last for a week? I still feel like my brain’s gonna explode,” Melanie said, flopping down on the bed next to Marion.Marion groaned and opened one eye. The only light on in the apartment was a lamp, but it was enough for her to see that her sister had an ice pack on her forehead. “Maybe you caught something,” she grumbled, closing her eyes again and rolling over.Melanie didn’t take the hint. “I don’t know. My neck’s been killing me, too. Maybe it’s from sleeping on the futon last night.”“You know the secret...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Salon Apartment” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #33

The apartment above the beauty salon was often empty.Kenzie, the salon owner’s daughter, had lived there during college rent-free, but once she graduated, she moved in with her fiancé and his three dogs. The salon owner, Penny, wouldn’t allow pets in the apartment: “Just think of what those women would think if they saw a dog running through the salon, Kenzie. They’d never trust the cleanliness of the business again.” It was hard to find tenants who didn’t have pets. One applicant even had a pet squirrel, to which Penny responded by promptly...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Two Star Tattoo” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #33

July 29. It was finally here.I stared in the bedroom mirror. Greek nose, hazel eyes, overall a pretty average appearance. I rolled up the sleeve on my left arm. This was going to be the last day of having what my mother called “untarnished” skin. Today was the day I would finally get a tattoo.For years, I’d admired the women I saw with tattoos. To me, they symbolized badassery at its finest. They held stories rooted in feminism and artistic expression. And they were just so sexy. I couldn’t help but stare anytime I saw someone covered in ink...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Roommate of the Hour” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #33

It wasn’t often that Anastasia walked to work. In fact, she couldn’t recall any other time she’d stepped out on her porch, saw the sunshine, and decided to enjoy the fresh air. Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of her office, staring up at the small black birds perched at one of the windows. She needed to go inside and clock in, but she wanted to cherish every second she wasn’t at home.As she strolled through the office’s revolving door, she pulled out her phone to see if Jenn had texted her yet. Nothing. She usually started blowing u...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Dead Name Alicia” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #26

My birth parents named me Joy. They always said it was because they were so happy and excited about becoming parents for the first time. That excitement apparently wasn’t enough. At seven years old I was in my first foster home, unable to sleep in a strange bed, wishing that my parents had named me “Crystal” because I heard them talk about her a lot. I cried for hours because I figured they loved her more than they loved me.I didn’t talk much in that first home. I missed my family and my stuffed animals and my friend next door. The second ho...

5 comments 5
Read story

Author bio

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