Paige Leppanen

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2020

Stories (21)

21 Stories

622 karma pts

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“A Million Scrapbook Moments” by Paige Leppanen

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 sinc...

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“The Picture” by Paige Leppanen

“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 sl...

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“The Salon Apartment” by Paige Leppanen

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 re...

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“Two Star Tattoo” by Paige Leppanen

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 someo...

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“Roommate of the Hour” by Paige Leppanen

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...

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“Dead Name Alicia” by Paige Leppanen

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 a...

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Author bio

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