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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of teens & young adult short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

5370+ 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.

Teens & young adult Short Stories – Page 20 of 359

Aspirations of a Ball Girl

Submitted to Contest #282

This year was her final chance to be invited. Addie knew it. She wanted to be a Junior Champion. For that to happen, she had to impress the summer camp staff. She had to perform superiorly better than others in an environment chock full of drills, matches, stiff competition and all the etceteras associated with stiff competition. After summer camp, maybe she becomes a ball girl. Become a ball girl, she wishfully thought, she becomes a Junior Champion. The administrators of the local summer tennis camp were gearing up for their annual Junior ...

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Planet X: Coded Life

Submitted to Contest #282

“Done!” I said, gazing at the finished boxes in my room. It almost looks abandoned now. Good. It’ll be a fresh start for me.“Helen.” I turn around quickly to see my friend, David.“David? Hi, how’d you get in here?”He waves the spare key in my face and replies with a smirk, “You’ve never changed, Helen. Try not to leave the spare key in the plant next to your door next time.”I giggle, “Good thing it’s just you, right?”“Yeah. Moving out?” I grab my bag and say, “Yeah. I just got out of a relationship and took the poor guy’s money. I wish ...

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Saturday Is The Coldest Day of The Year

Submitted to Contest #281

Monday.  I am freezing. My hands are stiff, tight, and red, nearing purple. I’m walking forward. One foot in front of the other. What else did I do but continue to walk forward on Monday? Just going forward isn’t enough to keep my blood moving. I feel it thicken with every step.Saturday…Tuesday.  My girlfriend has been texting me, and I just feel bothered. She says that I’ve been distant and she wants the same amount of effort. That’s not right. It’s Tuesday, and my girlfriend is texting me. I’m trying to respond, but my hands are ...

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Rescued by the Giant Octopus - Voyages of the Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #281

“In the ancient codices, how does the sun come back after it sinks into the ocean on the longest darkness of the year?” When the storyteller Ana spoke, she saw the shining eyes of nineteen-year-old Xochitli, the scholar of Nahuatl ancient history and myths.Xochitli's face and eyes showed someone with depths that held many secrets. The young Nahuatl woman spoke. “The sun, Tonatiuh, he who goes forth shining, is reborn as a hummingbird. It is in the hieroglyphics of the ancient codices.”She continued. “We must find the ancient codice...

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The Journal

Submitted to Contest #281

“A journal?” I said. “I thought you said I had too many notebooks already.”  My roommate, Kat, shrugged. “You do.  But I thought you’d like it, so I picked it up," Kat said.  She handed the journal over to me. It was leather bound, slightly stained, and worn, like it had gone through a lot of use. What an odd thing to find at a thrift store. Curious as to how much use the journal had actually gone through, I flipped through it. The pages were completely filled with fancy handwriting, so it wouldn't be much use as an actual jou...

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The True Story of Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #281

You all know the story of Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. But let me tell you my side of the story—the true story of Rudolph.I was an orphan and arrived at the North Pole totally by accident. To be honest, I was lost. The last I saw of my mother was about three months before meeting that jolly old elf that many call Saint Nick. You see, I was born the spring before on Alaska’s North Slope. And for those of you who don’t know, that is oil country. There are oil rigs, pumping stations, miles and miles of pipe...

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I love you, I’m sorry

Submitted to Contest #282

“I love you, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not saying what I should have said three months ago. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I’m a burden. I’m sorry if I took up all of your time. I’m sorry if I made you feel like you couldn’t escape me. I’m sorry I was afraid of telling you what I should have said before, when I never used to be afraid of telling you anything. There’s so many things I wish I would have done three months ago, because maybe I could have prevented this from happening. My heart aches at the thought of all the memories I have wi...

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One And A Half Years

Submitted to Contest #282

OneA walk. the worst of worse to come.I struggle to see. My rose-gold glasses forbid it, let me down once again. So I squint. Streetlights stretch and overlap, but Mom’s silhouette clears. Blonde hair, dark roots and loose curls fall on her black jacket, looking familiar. She perishes, my eyes readjust.“It might be time for some new glasses.”New glasses, just to see less. It’s always too bright, even when there’s no moon or sun and the clouds cover everything that’s not close. Someone painted this town yellow.The doors fall shut quietly, but...

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In Return for the Gloves

Submitted to Contest #281

It was two weeks before Christmas, and Marty Blevins had just finished installing the last LED bulb above his fireplace, which was now lit up like a shrine. It was the final accomplishment, the final brush stroke, on his home remodeling work of art. Calling it “art” was probably high-minded, but Marty knew he was standing in a large new living room that had once been just a dirty old carport. Marty’s wife Gloria had been busy arranging chairs around the tables and fumbling with the stereo remote, to get the music just right. She wore a ...

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12 - 4

Submitted to Contest #281

Mel woke up to silence on Christmas Day, a chill far colder than the snow outside. It gnawed at her bones that ached and groaned as she stirred from her slumber. Undisturbed. Unusual.  Unsettling.  She blinked away the last of her sleep and rubbed its remnants from her eyes, swift attempts to start her day all in hopes to get it over with sooner. Sure, she had already woken up with a frown on her lips and surrender in her eyes, but Mel Finster was no Grinch. She was not green nor grisly nor vengeful with misread intent. Instead, sh...

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Ye old hag.

Submitted to Contest #281

Salem.A very dark era of history emerged in the city of salem. This book is inspired by the things that happened to the witches of salem Massachusetts. It takes a look at the consequences they endured if they were accused of witchcraft. Very dark magical times. For young adults due to triggers, death, violence and magic and foul play/language. Ye old Hag. The coldest day of the year that we've had in decades. My lips were blue and my teeth were shivering. But I was determined to see what was in the Forrest and why it was prohibited. It was ...

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Chill of the Unseen

Submitted to Contest #281

Note: There is a theme of death in this story. It’s the coldest day of the year. No one but her can feel the chill. The way it lodges itself deep inside her soul. The ominous feeling of dread. It’s the coldest day of the year, but it’s not actually cold outside. It’s her, not them. It’s the coldest day of the year—someone save her. Alora knew she was different. It’s not something she could explain but she knew. It’s the way shadows and lights played tricks on her that aren’t quite tricks making it look like creatures lurked there. Or ho...

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The Coldest Day of the Year

Submitted to Contest #281

  “I’ve never wished to be sweating more than today.” I mumbled to my darling child, Bartholomew, my tabby cat. I trudged my way into my kitchen, checking the thermometer on the wall. -10°C. I don’t think I’d ever seen it so cold. I made my way over to the coffee maker, turning it on. If I was going to make it through the coldest day of the year, I knew I would need some coffee to keep me warm. While the coffee brewed, I leaned on the counter, flinching away once I feel how cold the marble is. I stood in the kitchen, half asle...

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The Party Crasher

M B

Submitted to Contest #281

“Come on Yvette, it’ll be fun!” Estrella shouted.  The blonde fae was grinning ear to ear as she danced in her sundress, her butterfly wings twitched in excitement and Yvette half expected to see her friend spin into the air like a helicopter. Yvette - her raven familiar perched on her shoulder - nervously ran her fingers through her brunette hair, a frown on her freckled face.  “I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to go to a party, Estrella.”  “PARTY TIME!” Cole called from her shoulder, Yvette put a hand to his beak...

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In Service to The Gods

Submitted to Contest #281

The time to protect the stronghold is drawing near. The Gods who have taken me in to live among them prepare, adorning the dying tree with the last few trinkets and bobbles. Lighting it as a shining beacon in the windows of the great room to summon their kind to revel and bring tribute. I patrol the dwelling, keeping just out of sight while observing their elaborate rituals. I have gleaned from the last two years among them that once the cold begins to settle upon the realm beyond the door, the Gods must begin to prepare for the Great Excha...

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