Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Featured stories
Activity feed

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.

5390+ 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 37 of 360

Library Book

Submitted to Contest #265

I remember sitting in a small cafe for my lunch break, stressing over the amount of work I had to get done today for my boss. I had taken a book from his personal law library for study and I had it with me that day and I was in the middle of taking some notes when I heard some people randomly cheering outside.I looked up and saw a group of women riding a “something” that read “pedal tavern” and I got curious.“Refill, hon?”, the brunette waitress said, holding fresh pot of coffee, it's tantalizing brew breaking me away from the window.“O...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

The Emerald Egg

Submitted to Contest #265

           Deammesia, the great fae capital, is known for its beautiful crystal towers, green trees, and flowers of all colors. Even the raindrops appeared to sparkle here. The children giggled as they played by the crystalline creek and skipped across the bridge. It was a joyful, peaceful time in Deammesia.           Deammesia’s great prosperity attracted others drawn to its wealth and glamour. Elves, angels, and dwarves made their ...

4 likes 5 comments 5
Read story

Sandy and the art museum

Submitted to Contest #265

Sandy had made himself a den that the sunlight couldn't reach. He filled it with an old projector, a DVD player, and the old DVDs from his parents' youth, which still worked and gave him a feeling of connectedness with the world.The whole enterprise was quaint—old films, old technology, staring at moving pictures on a wall. Not just Disney, but also old classics like Fawlty Towers, Allo 'Allo, and other politically incorrect shows. He wasn't bothered about political correctness. He wouldn't have known what quaint was, in his 10 years of life...

4 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Flight Y2K

Submitted to Contest #265

1903 was a significant year. The airplane was invented by the Wright Brothers. At the time they were a spectacle, but after many improvements and a better understanding of physics, plane designs have drastically improved in the last 90 years. They are considered so normal, that even small prototypes and toys are mass-produced for children’s enjoyment. Adolescents are easily distracted. Probably why parents are constantly shoving playthings in their faces. A prime example of this is my 9-year-old brother, Cody, who is currently pestering me w...

3 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Voyage to Greener Pastures

Submitted to Contest #265

Saffron set the map down. Around him were the deep sparkling waves of the aquamarine waters, glistening underneath the hot sun like thousands of diamonds. Saffron could only look at the waters for so long before his eyes ached. He did not know why he was so fond of the waters that surrounded him, perhaps because he was a pirate, and as pirates were well known for he loved treasure and anything that sparkled. Behind Saffron, around the deck was his crew. They all trudged across the pale wooden floorboards, hauling nets and other objects....

12 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

The White Trolley Tour

Submitted to Contest #265

In the heart of Mississippi, the historic city of Corinth hummed with excitement. Anticipation of the annual Slugfest electrified the air. Word of mouth transformed it from its quirky origins to a regional spectacle. Colorful banners fluttered in the breeze, heralding the arrival of the Slugfest. Visitors were enticed by the tantalizing invitation of the wafting smell of fried goodness in the air as they traveled from far and wide. Amidst a kaleidoscope of laughter and smells, the carnival was in full swing. Standing in contrast to the backd...

5 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Love and Spooks

Submitted to Contest #264

Love and Spooks “Aaaahh!” screamed Stephanie as she let out a high-pitched shriek of terror as she was greeted by the sight of a rather realistic looking werewolf looking ready to pounce upon entering the two-story house. Behind her a cry of laughter rang out as she felt her friend’s hand rest on her shoulder trying to calm her down. “Easy Steph, it’s just Frank” The werewolf straightened his stance and looked more relaxed now. It looked silly to Amelia to see a werewolf go from a fierce pose to standing casually and waving like a shy kid in...

5 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

The Saviour

Submitted to Contest #264

My feet met the cold stone floor, sending shivers up my spine. Seemingly I wasn’t the only one, I could hear gasps coming from the crowd that surrounded me. A few murmurs as well, probably comments regarding the unpleasant feeling. To be completely honest, the cold stone was the least of my worries if I could call it that to begin with. I wasn’t concerned, not really. Not about our presence here at least but the anxious aura surrounding the crowd I was part of could barely go unnoticed.I let my eyes wander around, pushing the people around m...

5 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Unexpected

Submitted to Contest #264

Unexpected June’s mouth gaped at the revelation. Today was the day of her dear friend’s wedding, and she didn’t think much of it, rather than the fact that her dear friend, who had gone through much suffering in her relatively short life was now getting married… It was enough to move her to tears. But the reason that her mouth was gaping was because of the person right in front of her.  Someone that she thought she had seen the last of during her turbulent, suffering years in high school was back in her life, albeit it would have been f...

3 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

How to Lose 82 Pounds in 2 Hours

Submitted to Contest #264

Trigger warning: eating disorder.My friends kept telling me it’s normal for me to feel this way, that they googled “five stages of grief” and bargaining was the second one. I haven’t talked to them in four weeks. I’m still counting. It’s not that they hurt me or anything - but I just think they’re wrong. I think it’s not that simple, and I think that nothing about any of this is normal. Sure, maybe your grandparents died, or maybe your parents died and you’re an adult, and you’re going through the five stages of grief written in monotones on...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Ten Tips if School’s Making You Lose Your Mind (Life is Short)

Submitted to Contest #264

1) Confirm whether you’re losing your mind ex) It’s 9:15 PM, but it was just 1:03. Or 1:04. Not too sure. I skipped lunch. My Finance textbook is big, fat, endless. Time keeps slipping away from me these days and I’m never sure where it’s going. I watch it like a cartoon character, with a big question mark lopsided above my head. I watch it with less clarity than when my dad forces me to watch college football. I would write a poem about this feeling, try to describe time like some sort of mouse that keeps skittering, or maybe like a su...

8 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Caught in the Net

Submitted to Contest #264

The doors swung open in front of her as if to reel her in. There was no turning back now. Weddings weren’t really Mabel’s cup of tea, but her father had pleaded with her to come as his plus-one, and it had cost them an arm and a leg to be able to look the part. It was not an ordinary wedding. It was rather a grand one. As she stepped into the palace and click-clacked her way to the ballroom – she wasn’t quite used to wearing high heels – the sounds of soft jazz, clinking glasses and chatter filled her ears. The air felt warm and heavily smel...

8 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

The Pentagram Killer

Submitted to Contest #263

Author's Note: This story mentions bullying and violence. Before I killed my therapist, Dr. Emily Wong suggested that I “journal my story.” I laughed at her then as she sat smugly in her high-back, leather chair. And I laughed months later when her blood was still wet on my hands. Yet here I am, putting pen to paper in a vain attempt to explain the unexplainable. I was deemed extraordinary at an early age. When most children were still defecating in their diapers, I was performing recitals in both piano and violin. By age nine, I had played ...

7 likes 5 comments 5
Read story

The Lost Pirate

Submitted to Contest #263

The boy sneezes. No one says anything. A nearby pirate–Mercer, perhaps, or Nelson–hands the lad a tattered handkerchief. Warily, he accepts the cloth, swiping at his nose with the carelessness customary to teenage boys. He clenches it tightly in his fist when done. Hook assesses him with a critical eye. Skinny, lacking any ferocity in his expression, and altogether disheveled from his time floating aimlessly along the sea. Shame the crocodile didn’t eat him. A shiver runs through the poor kid. He draws his arms closer to his c...

2 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

A not so sunny day, some time after the 8th March 2024

Submitted to Contest #263

“It was just a dream. I promise.” Dad told Lily as he fumbled a dark, velvet scrunchy over her ponytail and held out his pinky finger for her. She caught me staring and mistook the void in my eyes for jealousy. The way that only your seven-year-old sister could interpret a vacant look. “Daddy and me share promises” she said triumphantly, climbing onto the chair at our breakfast bar. Just a box of Cheerios separated us. Her smile was so wide it almost seemed to stretch the gaps between her teeth. I smiled back. - - - - - We would tell peopl...

4 likes 2 comments 2
Read story
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. All for free.