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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.

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 39 of 360

This Wasn't It

Submitted to Contest #263

Hot Florida sun burns a small spot on Billie’s back, but behind she could hear a storm approaching. Her backpack leaves sweat stains on her black Against Me! shirt, worn thin from the teenager’s reckless love of it. She is walking the mile or so from school back home. It is a poor neighborhood, but not because of a lack of money. The people here had just stopped. Houses half-painted, cars half-fixed. So many lives seemed halted abruptly here. She hoped that hers was not among them. Their yards were a mottled combination of overgrown grass an...

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hush, said the wind to the sea

Submitted to Contest #262

I decided to go through my old chats, looking for my architect cousin’s contact information. He must know how much it’s worth, mom had said to me earlier, give me his whatsapp. I didn’t find his number, but I found you. Your name popped up. Fer left the chat, it said. The date was mid May, it was that one group chat with your hostel buddies and I. We hadn’t talked for months, so I found it odd that you decided to randomly exit this inactive group chat. I frowned, trying to recall if I had done something out of the ordinary, like texting you ...

19 likes 6 comments 6
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RETRIBUTION AND REDEMPTION

Submitted to Contest #263

Billy Matthews was a delicate child. Thin of build and sensitive of soul, he was just the kind of young person sought by bullies. And, as one would expect, bullies did find him. His tormenter, Scott Russell, was a hulking, aggressive boy with a huge chip on his shoulder. With the advantage of having older and younger brothers with whom to fight and play, his personality, confidence and physical skills were forged into a powerhouse. Boys like Scott tended to be charismatic as well, attracting a coterie of followers who feel empowered by being...

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It must be love

Submitted to Contest #262

It must be love “We’re here” called out Carl, the father of the Fox family as he put the minivan into park just outside of an old house. Matthew was zoned out typing away on his phone chatting with his friends who were now hundreds of miles away by now back in his hometown. He hated the idea of being dragged all this way from his home to a place he had never been before. His friends had plans for summer vacation, and he was looking forward to joining them in those plans but when one day his father announced they were going to spend the summ...

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Thrown Out

Submitted to Contest #262

I shoved the bag into the provided locker after I slipped my phone and earbuds in.  “Jackie I’m done I’ll meet you by the water wheel,” I yelled. Once an okay came from the other end of the changing room I made my way out. I half expect to hear a cacophony on children and teenagers but instead I gazed out to the emptiness of Splash Land. An adult free water park right next to an adult only spa, winery and scenic resort. And by adult they meant those over twenty-one. I rankled at being treated to some kiddie park. I was 19 for god's sake...

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More than Just a Heat Wave

Submitted to Contest #262

Prompt: Heat wave: Write a story about a summer vacation gone amuck (with an unexpected summer fling thrown in). (In an era before cell phones and texting.) More than Just a Heat Wave I was humming “my bags are packed and I am ready to go” when the radio announcer interrupted the song with the ominous warning “this is going to be the hottest summer on record. Stay cool and stay hydrated.” This was a warning I did not need to hear. “Oh, this is going to be fantastic,” I sarcastically quipped to myself. I looked i...

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The End of the World, Together

Submitted to Contest #262

“You’ve heard it right folks, we have an even larger heatwave coming to hit the south this weekend, once again breaking the previous heat record. While we’ve had temperatures in the high 100’s this week, we’re gonna get up into the teens of the hundreds reaching at least 115 today.” “Man again? Texas is getting a little too hot for me,” said Melanie, my wife. We were just recently married three months ago but have been together for a little over three years. And she was right, it was getting way too hot. “We might have to move to Alaska or s...

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The Rise of Divine Nightingale

Submitted to Contest #263

TW: Contains execution Divine Felt the ball of rage in her stomach explode as Mr. and Mrs. Vajda told her the news, "Aliyah as left the Rebellion for The University of Magical studies.""what do you mean she left?" Divine asked.Mr. Vajda sighed, "she told us she was leaving and just left, we thought she was joking and that she would be back within a couple of days, but its been 5 days, and she hasn't returned."Divine couldn't believe the words she was hearing, her best friend, Aliyah Vajda just left the Nightingale Rebels, to join the enemy. ...

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Hot Box

Submitted to Contest #262

David was bored. Worse than that he was bored and it was so hot he didn’t want to move. His best friend, Brad, lived 3 streets over and it seemed too far, so instead he laid on the wooden wrap-around porch with his head hanging off the edge looking at the world upside down. The air was thick and clinging to his skin. He tried to stay as still as possible, but it wasn’t helping. He watched as sweat dripped down his forehead and dropped to the dirt below, then would count until another drop fell in the same spot. One, two, three, four, five, d...

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Bottled Up

Submitted to Contest #262

As much as he wanted to kill it, he couldn’t. No matter how many times he smacked his sandal down on it, the fuzzy red ant would just vanish into the soft, hot sand only to reappear dustier, angrier–stinging at the air in contorted retaliation. “Somebody bring me a cup or something,” said Mr. Bauer, holding out his hand while his eyes were fixed downward. He just wanted to destroy the bug and move on. It had been a long day at Bear Lake, a mostly good day, but nearing the end of a long week. Mr. Bauer was the director of Bright Horizons...

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The Candy Man

Submitted to Contest #262

Candy Man by Amanda Stogsdill "Judy? Judy? Can you hear me?"In my dark closet, I stifle giggles, listening as Nancy's footsteps fade down the hallway. Releasing a silent laugh, I emerge from my hiding place."There you are! Mom's been holding dinner." Nancy flashes a big grin. "You can't fool me, Judy. I know where you hide." Leave it to Nancy to ruin my afternoon! I think. Showing my irritation by ignoring her, we head downstairs to dinner.Nancy and I are stepsisters. When my parents got divorced when I was little, Mom married my stepda...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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The Ashen Phoenix: The Rise and Fall of Alara Thorne

Submitted to Contest #263

In the kingdom of Valthorne, the name Alara Thorne was whispered with a mixture of awe and reverence. Known far and wide as the Ashen Phoenix, she was a beacon of hope in a land plagued by darkness. Her powers, a gift from the mythical phoenix, allowed her to control flames, to summon and manipulate fire with a mere thought. The people believed her to be invincible, their last line of defense against the ever-growing shadows that threatened their world.Alara’s rise to power had been meteoric. Born into a family of warriors, she had always be...

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A Second Chance at Summer

Submitted to Contest #262

“Can I get the play station?”“You have fifty seven tickets.” The boy, a short round thing of about twelve, stared at me blankly. His red stained mouth hung open slightly, the same cherry stain dribbled down the front of his shirt. “The play station costs 115,000 tickets,” I explained. “Okay!” He said with an empathic nod of the head, comprehension eluding him.“You know what, how about fifty seven army men?” I pulled out one of the small green figures from a container under the counter and handed it to the boy. He stared down a...

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Enemy of My Enemy

Submitted to Contest #263

The first knock was lost in the thunder.  Alex Blackburn sipped his drink by the roaring fire, staring contemplatively at the dancing flames.  The second knock, however, he heard.  With a sigh, he got to his feet and went to the door.Standing in the pouring rain was a woman in a drenched cloak that he knew all too well.“If it isn’t the Archangel,” he said dryly.  He leaned against the door frame and sipped his drink.  “What brings you here, Caelynn?”She stepped under the awning and lowered her hood.  He saw tear...

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Double Edged Sword

Submitted to Contest #262

Containment breach…Containment breach…Seal all doors… The sirens above blared incessantly. I backed away from my door, person after person flying by the little plate glass window set into it. It was like a tiny movie, each character falling deeper into madness as the monotone voice overhead screeched at them over and over and over… Lockdown initiated…Starting cooling sequence…In 3, 2, 1… Then the already frigid air around me cooled even more, making my fingers and toes tingle. Oh joy. I let out a sigh and sunk down onto my bed, wrapping the ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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