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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.

150+ 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 3 of 10

Concerning Behaviour

Submitted to Contest #303

Content warning: substance abuse, poor mental health, neglect, domestic abuse, groomingThe boys sat on the garden wall, leaning into one another, head-to-head. They were sharing somebody else’s space, Reece’s mobile phone, and a nit, which slowly traversed the crossing-point from Euan’s brown scruff to Reece’s red crewcut. Reece’s mom would have to give Euan the shampoo, again.‘Just one more,’ said Euan, as the progress bar on the video rushed towards its endpoint.Ah, fine,’ said Reece, as if no was an option.They cracked up as a kid on scre...

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The Memory Heist

Submitted to Contest #303

This story contains references to suicide or self harm and mental health. I could’ve picked anything. Her name. Her locker number. The moment she slammed Emi into the lockers so hard it knocked the wind out of her. But I didn’t. I picked the one thing that made her decent. The thing that shaped her before she ever picked up the habit of cruelty. I took a sentence. Just one.You’re good. You’ll always be good.I don’t know why I knew it mattered. I just did. And the second I pulled it from her, like peeling something still warm from the bone...

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Theft

Submitted to Contest #303

We met in kindergarten, I think. I don’t remember exactly where it happened. It could have been at the playground in the park. The front windows of my house faced the park. The playground was the only place where my mother allowed me to go alone—she could watch me from the living room window.Nellie’s house was on the same street, just a couple of houses away. She, too, played in the park without supervision.Nellie was everything my mother wanted me to be: pleasant, clean, and with large pink pom-poms holding her sandy-colored hair. The exact...

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Desperation

Submitted to Contest #303

Rain lashed against the windows of the study, contrasting with the silence that had descended upon his mind—his soul. Lukas stood next to the cool pane with his hands in his trouser pockets as he waited. And waited. And waited for the person he knew would show up any minute.When the car lurched to a stop out front a half an hour later, he sighed. The figure rushed up the front stairs and burst through the door. It banged, and it was only a matter of seconds before the one in his study did the same. He remained standing even when the woman st...

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Stare from the House of Irene

Submitted to Contest #303

A STARE FROM THE HOUSE OF IRENETo Irene, she would always be a phenomenal woman, the embodiment of the Maya Angelou poem. As the 27 year-old architecture student held a death grip on her brand new x-acto knife and ferociously shaved her pencil to a sharp point, her mind drifted back to a woman she had met almost five years ago. Had it really been that long? Jade’s hair was probably highlighted in silver by now. They had met at a conference, a STEM Conference in Pennsylvania. The trait that stood out most vividly to Irene was her mass of curl...

5 likes 3 comments 3
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The Compass of Time

Submitted to Contest #302

My fingers flew across the piano, sweat dampening notes of black and white. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. The moon hung high in the sky, a beacon of hope in the night sky as it illuminated the music room in gentle, silver rays. “It’s nearly midnight, Ethan. You need to rest before the big day tomorrow.” Ryan’s soft honey voice shattered the bubble I’d locked myself behind. His familiar eyes twinkled like stars.My idol. My compass. My big brother. His fond smile was too comforting to irritate, though any other being would have found...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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Getting lost between cultures

Submitted to Contest #302

The daily life of a newly immigrated Japanese teenager in the United States seemed, in fact, very difficult. Taiga, at 16 years old, had arrived on American soil only about three months earlier and had faced many challenges translating Japanese into English. After all, more than a language, Taiga was translating a life: all the good and memorable moments he had lived in the great city of Tokyo were being replaced by American memories and customs. And that was a big problem for the boy because he never wanted this translation. His body might ...

6 likes 1 comment 1
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24. Some Real "Who Shot JR?" Stuff, Brother.

Submitted to Contest #303

After talking to Sarah on the phone, Curt returned to sit with Kevin in the living room, bringing him tea. There was a lot to process. During the homecoming dance, a tornado had grazed their high school the previous night. They were trapped in a closet during the storm. Kevin’s injuries could have just as easily been a serious head injury, but he escaped with just a rash from flying debris, which may not have happened if he had not moved quickly to protect his boyfriend. Then, they stayed up all night to make sure Kevin didn’t have a concuss...

12 likes 2 comments 2
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Almost, in Retrograde

Submitted to Contest #302

I don’t understand why he never texted, but I do understand the urge to pretend it was more than it was, if only to justify how much I liked it. One random weekend, weeks ago, I went to a housewarming party for a friend who had just bought her first apartment. She was new to the city, and in classic twenty-something fashion, the only acceptable way to christen the new place was by getting trashed. She invited our core crew–a tight group stitched together through a chaotic blend of high school, college, and home friend overlaps. The six of u...

6 likes 1 comment 1
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If the End of the World Could Talk

Shortlisted for Contest #302 ⭐️

My name is Sage Duperior, and I once lived at the End of the World. At least, that’s what they call Venice, Louisiana, the last pit-stop before entering into an abyss that is the Gulf of Mexico. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to being on another planet while still floating around on this one. The town is basically surrounded on both sides by water. On the map, the state of Louisiana seems to shrivel out and branch into a frail leaf or two – that’s where Venice is. Somewhere on that leaf. There are stretches of land after it, but it’s all ...

25 likes 21 comments 21
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Lost in Translation: A Neurodivergent Journey Through Life

Submitted to Contest #302

I was ready. Probably more ready than I have ever been before taking a final examination at the end of a semester. Taking exams, any exam, tend to be an anxiety-invoking trigger for me. Even when I feel competent in my understanding, there’s always some small, lingering doubts that finds a way in. I am grateful that my professor had granted me the extension. It felt like a gift—one that allowed me a little more time to prepare and catch my breath. As the clock ticked away, I again began feeling both anxious and ready, so I decided to si...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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Kids and Their Epics

Submitted to Contest #302

This short story will have mentions of war and potential derogatory language.I sneak a look at Sawyer Thompson from across the room, where he polishes the apple Nurse gave him with his grey cloth handkerchief. In the bed next to me, Brendon is watching eagerly, waiting for the same thing I am. Sawyer does this same routine every day; he scrubs his red apple until it shines under the ward’s stifling white lights, then keeps polishing it with such vigour that he eventually drops it. The apple tumbles off the creased linen blankets covering Saw...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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I Don't Speak Chondrich.

Submitted to Contest #302

Tag along with the team, he said. You’ll be in good hands, he said. It’ll be fun, he said. Well, I guess my boss and I imagine very different things when we think of the word “fun”. I, for one, envision myself in my quarters on the ship, the window presenting a clear view of the shimmering sea of stars and planets just outside. Working on my next research report under a heated blanket, occasionally opening my mouth to catch one of the many flavored bubbles that I have floating around the room- the machine is set to hot-cocoa, obviously.But a...

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Stagnant

Submitted to Contest #302

TW: Descriptions of drowning. A white mist of brittle air escaped from Wren’s lips. Cautiously, she tiptoed through rubble and broken glass, avoiding murky puddles and damp mould. She raised her gaze to observe the faded sea-green hair of the person blazing the trail ahead of her, dimly illuminated by the pitiful rays of blue light emitted from her torch.“Hey, Fran? How much further?” She called out to them, stumbling clumsily over a soggy scrap of cardboard, catching herself just short of a black mass of mould. She sighed, relieved.“Shh! Ke...

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That Day in 2011

Submitted to Contest #302

It was sometime in May of 2011. I can’t quite remember which day it was, but it felt like the longest day of my life. I had woken up next to my husband, kissed him on the cheek, then walked from our bedroom out to the hallway and found myself walking to our daughter’s room. I proceeded to wake her up for one of her last days of school. She was very unamused that I woke her up at such an “early hour.” She proceeded to try to fall back asleep, until I turned her bedroom lights on. Once again, she was unamused, but it managed to get...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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