5100+ Teens & Young Adult Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Looking for the best short stories for teens? Our collection of funny, suspenseful, and relatable young adult short stories will meet your needs.

🏆 Winning stories

“Just Another Dead Girl Underwater” by Eliza Leonel

🏆 Winner of Contest #275

Trigger Warning: implications of death, violence and sexual harassment By the time the fisherman finds me, I will have been dead for thirty-three hours, six minutes, and twenty-nine seconds. Eighteen hours since the police declared me missing. Fifteen hours since Zoe told my biology teacher that my tent was empty, that I hadn’t returned from the party we’d snuck out to the night before. Careful, quiet, every twig a possible snitch. It was exhilarating, our hearts pounding, the smell of pine and seaweed thick in the air, and the moon a perfec...

162 likes 106 comments 106

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“6:47 PST” by David Pampu

🏆 Winner of Contest #234

What has four faces, eight arms, and can’t tell time? The clock tower at Union Station. Four clocks on the tower and none of them run? I mean, what’re the odds? I peer up at the time and shade my eyes. It’s 6:47 pm. Always is, always will be. And all anyone knows is that on a Monday the world was a loud, frantic place and Tuesday it wasn’t. Tuesday? Really? The world should’ve ended on a Saturday. Saturdays are fun. Used to be anyway. But no. We get eternal friggin Tuesday afternoon where nothing changes. Ever. Good news though— we’re ...

138 likes 74 comments 74

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“Fini Flight” by Camphor White

🏆 Winner of Contest #170

Fini FlightTigger Warning:Suicide, Violence, Swearing"It's like flying."She said as I peered down at the two dead bodies laying on the ground below me. I was one of the four who decided to jump instead. The unlucky four who didn't escape."Well?"Well what? You're asking me to jump off a fucking building."Together?" I ask"No, you go first."What does that mean? Is she really going to chicken out? She was the one who so readily agreed to the idea."What?""You go first.""No.""Why?""What do you mean why?" I can feel the anger inside of me boiling u...

190 likes 114 comments 114

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“07-18-04 ” by Grace R

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #259

A burnt child loves the fire, I reminded myself as I crept closer to the writhing blue flames. I felt the heat on my chilled pale skin and exhaled.  I never wanted to leave the city this weekend, but when Clarke called me, I knew I had to oblige. I’ve always thought of myself as a good friend, but just like any other human, I have my intrinsic selfish nature. I would’ve much preferred sleeping inside my apartment with the TV lulling me to sleep and a Diet Coke on my bedside table rather than camping in the middle of nowhere. But it's b...

15 likes 1 comment 1

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“Coming Home” by Natalie Portera-Sickler

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #246

Dusk was setting in, and everyone had gone home except for Johnny. It was the last place he wanted to be right now. Instead, he gazed at the stars that began to emerge in the indigo twilight for their debut now that the sun was taking its exit from the stage, leaving nothing but a burnished glow on the horizon.He clenched the chains of the swing as if it were a lifeline, tilting his head back further until he was looking directly up into the center of the universe, where the blue had deepened to black, and the stars all peered at him like a ...

28 likes 18 comments 18

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“Don't Know” by George Mexas

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #240

 Don’t Know. The wind, indecisive in its direction, takes the umbrella away from me. “Come on!” I shout. I hear the metallic clicks and snaps of the cheap fabric and reused metal that constitutes an umbrella, as it flies away. It ends up landing on a nearby pothole filled with water and I give up on retrieving it. Too bored or frustrated. Maybe I should spend more money for better quality.  “That went well.” My friend says. “Shut up.”  The words escape my mouth before I even realize. The rain hits me anywhere it can, as if i...

24 likes 10 comments 10

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✍️ All stories

“The Dreaded Period” by Sierra Steffan

Submitted to Contest #280

The bell rang for the fifth time today, the bell she dreaded. Ringing to announce to her that it's time for her lunch period to begin. She didn’t have any real friends in her lunch and just sat with a friend group that she tried to fit in to. The friend group had their jokes and conversations so she always just stayed to herself, trying to talk when she felt that she fit in. It bothered her a little that she didn’t have a real friend group at lunch but it was better than nothing. The four other girls she sat with were nice and weren’t mean t...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Pretty Pink Scissors ” by Ava Ashley

Submitted to Contest #280

*Trigger Warning* Physical Violence, Gore, Abuse, Mental Health, Self-harm, Weapons & Identity Crisis The compulsive urge to scratch, claw, and pull at your skin as the appearance in the mirror mocks your existence. You stand in front of your mirror, peering into the reflection, trying desperately to like what you see in the reflection. The constant nitpicking and degrading of the body that was made specifically for you was not something you thought you’d grow up and do. The killing of your body is the only thing that makes everything s...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“The existential kink” by Aylin Ahmedova

Submitted to Contest #280

“Yo, Jenny?”“Mhm.”“Why do you love to torture yourself?”“The fuck are you on, Carl?”“Think about it, your ex was a piece of shit but deep down you got off on it一”“You want me to slap you or what? Watch your mouth.”“I’m not saying what he did was right,”“Good to see you’re not demented,”“I’m just trying to find a new angle for the situation so you’re not stuck as the victim.”“... and how’s that gonna help?”“You take back the narrative from that asshole. You call power back to yourself.”“And what do I do with that narrative, lie to myself?”“No...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“A Dark Horse (Part 1)” by Keila Aartila

Submitted to Contest #280

***“No, don’t!” I shouted as he threw his arm back with the whip for another lash to the black coat. I saw him hesitate before taking the next swing, leaving another welt upon the flesh. The young horse half reared and jumped sideways in order to avoid the blow, but his head was still forced into the circle by the boy’s grip on the long-line. He couldn’t get away. I ran up and grabbed the kid’s wrist, forcing him to drop the whip. It slid to the ground. The lead fell from the other, hitting he sandy surface of the floor with a muted plop. Th...

6 likes 4 comments 4

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“Chasing the Fairytale” by Eberechi Oti

Submitted to Contest #280

"Do you believe in fairy tales?" Charlotte’s mother had asked her once, when she was just four—innocent, wide-eyed, and unaware of the complexities of the world. She sat at her mother’s feet, her small body tucked into the rich folds of her auburn gown, her head nestled against the woman’s knees, as if the fabric of her mother’s love could shield her from anything outside their little world. Charlotte had looked up at her, her eyes wide and bright, gleaming with the wonder only a child could know. Her mind still spun with the words of the fa...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Listen to My Voice” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #280

Prompt: Write a story that includes someone (or something) saying, “No don’t.”Listen to My Voice I was standing on the edge of the cliff when I whispered to myself “Go ahead jump. No one cares.” Then from out of nowhere I heard a voice shouting, “No don’t.”  I was shocked to hear a disembodied voice call out here in the middle of the wilderness. Why would anyone really care? My life has been a hodgepodge of shambled affairs. Why would it really matter if I jumped? My life has been filled with my own insecurities...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Part three ” by Ashlee Osborn

Submitted to Contest #280

Part three. Blacked out. He barged through the door and broke it. "Did you tell her?" He screamed while slapping her in the face hard. "NO!' She cried and held on to her belly. "Shes in the hospital for the love of god. She is a vegetable in a wheelchair. Because of what you did. He was a paranoid schizophrenic. He smashed up her house. Leaving his pregnant girlfriend in tears as now in debt as she would have to pay for the damages. She had a black eye. Realizing that she had to call the police on him. This wasn't th...

16 likes 2 comments 2

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“Sign” by William Rose

Submitted to Contest #280

They loved each other quite a lot. However there was one problem. Wilt never spoke. It drove Kade crazy for the first few months of their friendship. After all how were they meant to get to know each other if Wilt never said anything. Instead of talking Wilt would make all these gestures that Kade couldn’t understand. Always flailing his pale hands and making faces that warped his cold dark brown eyes. After consulting his mother, always his first choice, he found out that Wilt was signing. Wilt did speak it turned out, just not in a languag...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Curious Curiosities of Christmas Eve” by K. Klein

Submitted to Contest #280

With a loud pop, the cork released its hold, followed by a soft sigh of escaping gas. Eliza poured the golden liquid into the flutes, a delicate rush followed by a cascade of sparkling bubbles. The effervescent drink fizzed enticingly as they raised their glasses in a celebratory clink. “Welcome to Curious Curiosities, where your fright is our delight,” Eliza said before taking a sip. “But only if you ain’t right,” Delia injected jokingly as they brainstormed catchy slogans for their new antique shop. Their grand opening had been a huge succ...

5 likes 2 comments 2

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“Penetrating Words” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #280

Prompt: Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!) Penetrating WordsHere me out Violet. You live in my house; I expect you to live by my rules. Mother, stop trying to ruin my life. Just because you had an overbearing mother doesn’t mean you have to be that way with me. I need to be my own person. You can do that Violet by learning to be responsible by respecting my authority.  I set a curfew to protect you, not to stifle your lifestyle...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Listening to Pets” by Katherine Walker

Submitted to Contest #280

Yippee, it’s time to play Ugh! This belly is so bouncy I like jumping on here. Wow, look at that big fat toe move when I bounce. Shh Mama is sleeping. Hey come over here and look out this window.  Let me grab this first. Leave my tail alone. Not your tail, this toe. It is wiggling and calling to me. Oh look there is a deer in the yard. We should let the neighborhood know.  I said leave my tail alone. But the toe disappeared.  Good morning neighborhood. We have a visitor here today.  Here comes Beau, he’ll make sure the de...

3 likes 2 comments 2

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“Alpha4367” by Ashley Brandt

Submitted to Contest #280

"Doctor Correon, I think that's enough.""Not quite, Alexander. I want to see how much she can handle." I could hear them talking about me. Their voices echoed in the dark void where I existed; I could feel the intense burn of the radiation, searing the outermost layers of my skin. It hurt, but I couldn't tell them so. Even if I could, I doubted it would have mattered. "Very good!" the Doctor exclaimed. Alexander, his intern, was silent. I knew he was nearby- I could smell his cologne; a woodsy scent with a hint of citrus. The scent was comfo...

11 likes 5 comments 5

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“The Last Phone Call” by Charlie Christmann

Submitted to Contest #280

"Mom! Finally! I thought our weekly calls from the station were pre-scheduled. I was worried.""Hey sweetie. Sorry about that. Things have been... a bit chaotic up here. Solar radiation's been causing issues with communications.""You usually call on Sunday. It's Wednesday.""You know how space is. Unpredictable. The ionosphere is wreaking havoc on everything up here. It took me a while to get through with the available channels restricted.""I guess. I hadn't heard about a radiation storm. Any way, how's the research going?""Can't complain. How...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Whispers in the Hall” by Samuel Excell

Submitted to Contest #280

Ethan Harper sat in the back corner of his AP Literature class, half-listening to Mrs. Rodriguez's lecture on "The Great Gatsby." His worn copy of the novel lay open on his desk, its margins filled with his neat handwriting—observations and connections that would never be shared aloud. From his vantage point, he could observe the entire classroom without drawing attention to himself, a skill he'd perfected over his years of careful isolation. Sarah Crowder twirled her pencil absently two rows ahead, while Jason Martinez slumped forward, figh...

17 likes 5 comments 5

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“Hair Flipper” by Rachel Steffan

Submitted to Contest #280

As clumps of my waist-long, straight brown hair fell out in the shower on New Year's Day, 1998, I was thinking, "If I have a bald spot, I'm going to sue her!" Crystal, the tattooed girl who tore out my hair was technically an adult at 18 and I was 17, so this logic made sense to me, even though I had no knowledge or means of suing anyone. Crystal regularly smirked and made snide remarks about my hair, personality, and everything in between. I took my mom’s advice and ignored it as much as possible because, “She is just jealous and insecure....

3 likes 0 comments 0

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