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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.

5400+ 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 5 of 360

The dog that knew too much

Submitted to Contest #299

want to tell you about a very smart dog called Tucker. Tucker couldn’t tell you why he was smarter than other dogs for two reasons. One, he was a dog, and they couldn’t talk. And two, he didn’t know.He just came into the world, with five other siblings, knowing stuff. He didn’t act like the other puppies; he didn’t get excited and bark at the postman whenever he came by. “That isn’t an axe murderer coming to kill them,” he had tried to explain to his littermates, “just a dude dropping off parcels.”But that didn’t work because then he had to ...

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#ReedsyFunnyStory - The Great Granny Heist

Submitted to Contest #299

*The Masterplan*It was a hot Saturday afternoon in Namatanai—a place so boring that even the flies gave up halfway through buzzing. For two teenagers, Ricky and Jeremiah, the day had crawled by with the speed of a sloth on vacation."I swear, if I see one more 'Out of Service' sign at a vending machine, I’m gonna lose it," Ricky said, dramatically collapsing onto the grass in the park.Jeremiah nodded solemnly. "We’re officially broke. Like, ‘we-just-licked-leftover-chips-dust-from-the-bottom-of-a-bag’ broke.”Ricky’s stomach growled so loudly,...

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What is Real?

Submitted to Contest #299

Rorg. He is a troll. He appears to be friendly as he offers me hand. I take it hesitantly, but soon give in. His handshake is firm and crushing. He laughs, a sound that is deep and coarse. “Are you fellow traveler human?” His features come to life under the firelight.I avert my gaze to the sky and reply. “I am.”Rorg laughs again, holding his leather armored stomach. “Are you good to my kind, or are you bad one?”Wow. This troll talks like a typical troll.I feel my throat tighten in his presence. I shouldn’t fear him, he seems genuine. I rise ...

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The Great Hair Catastrophe of Room 305 (The Extended Cut)

Submitted to Contest #299

Here’s the thing about trying to give yourself bangs at 2:17 a.m.—it never ends in success or emotional stability.I blame YouTube. And hormones. And maybe Madison Blake, whose face somehow looks perfect under fluorescent lighting, which should honestly be illegal. Like, how does she look like a porcelain angel in the same lighting that makes me resemble a raw chicken nugget? Madison has these perfect, wispy little curtain bangs that whisper things like “Paris in spring” and “I own three types of lip balm.” Meanwhile, my hair whispers, “Pleas...

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The Toothless Fairy

Submitted to Contest #299

Molly’s alarm went off, as it did every day at 8 a.m., sending a jolt through her system and making every living cell rebel against the idea of getting out of bed. “Oh no, this is going to be a tough day,” she thought. “Why must people work until they’re 67, while the average European lifespan is 73? This is pure injustice.”With this philosophical reflection on the human condition, she slowly placed one foot on the floor, then the other, and finally slid her torso down, landing on her knees. Her head, unfortunately, remained on the bed and r...

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Questionable Companionship

Submitted to Contest #298

I am standing on the balcony outside of the bedroom, picking the door's lock with a bobby pin. “C'mon,” I impatiently mutter under my breath, my movements becoming more frantic by the second. Just when I’m about to give up, the lock clicks and unlocks. I let out a sigh of relief and quietly push the glass doors open. I step into the room and glance around, taking in the luxury and obvious wealth. Then the thing I'm here for finally catches my eye. Well, maybe ‘person’ would be a better word than ‘thing’. I slowly approach him and look down o...

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Crossroads

Submitted to Contest #298

Charlie Morgan, a young man from America’s rustbelt, was just about to graduate from high school. He was a good boy, and a hard worker. His mother Mary Ann, worked as a waitress at the diner off the interstate. She always made sure there was enough food on the table for the two of them, which wasn’t easy ever since Charlie’s father, Paul, had passed away.He was a young boy at the time and didn’t have many memories of this father, but his mother had given him an old photograph.The photo was taken three months before Charlie was born. The youn...

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The Mystery of Operation Tighten the Belt

Submitted to Contest #299

Let me tell you about the day I became a superhero. It was a Thursday, and Thursdays are usually boring. School was boring, lunch was boring and dull, and even our dog, Max, looked bored. But everything changed when I found… The Cape. It was stuffed in the back of my closet, under a pile of clothes that Mom kept telling me to put away. (I'll put them away eventually — probably when I'm thirty.) Anyway, the Cape was bright red, and I'm pretty sure it used to be part of my Halloween costume from when I was five. But when I put it on, something...

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Becoming Lily

Submitted to Contest #298

Becoming LilyChapter 1: The Platform Lily stood on the cold, graffiti-covered subway platform, a large suitcase in one hand and a stiff coffee in the other. She checked and double-checked the arrival time on the screen, fighting the persistent urge to turn around, run back up the stairs, and take a right — straight into her old life. Or… she could hop on the train toward an unknown future.It was 10:02 a.m., and Lilly’s train was due at 10:14. The platform was surprisingly quiet. Maybe people were still working from home, or maybe she’d just ...

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Forgive or bleed open heart

Submitted to Contest #298

I tiptoed back up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs it began to squeak. “Oh no, I can’t let her see me.” So, I went back down the first half of the stairs slowly. I had to think of another way. It was cold outside, and I could hear her walking around upstairs. So I went into the basement door and grabbed the first coat I could see with my slippers already on my feet. I quickly wrote a note to aunt Musu saying, “I’m sorry Mommy” and did what I knew best. Slowly I opened the front door, trying to prevent it from squeaking. A few minutes later...

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Sisters Versus Secrets

Submitted to Contest #298

My sister and I don't get along much. We argue and bicker, fight and hurt each other. It drove our mother crazy. So She sent us away to Nana's. I always loved staying at Nana's but not anymore, at least not in this sense."You know this is your fault right? You're the reason Mom sent us away." My sister said bitterly. She had olive-brown skin with long blond and brown highlights in her new blowout. I don't get why she always straightened her hair. Personally I liked her coily hair, maybe her new boyfriend Todd doesn't. But Who gives a flying ...

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The Lone Student

Submitted to Contest #298

“No-one ever talks to her,” said Joanne whose tall frame overshadowed the rest of the girl group, as if Louise didn’t exist amongst the bench surrounded by the school oval. Sharon, a stocky blonde raised a hand, flicking cigarette ash on the uneven grassy ground. “Ah, that is so not true. She’s got nothing to say to anyone, so people don’t talk to her as often as us.” Louise cowered as her body shivered while sitting on a tiny corner of the bench, her thigh pressing hard against Elaine whose gaze said, ‘you’re ...

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To John, love Alice

Submitted to Contest #298

Today I woke at to the sound of the cat scratching on the window. As I walked over to let it in, it suddenly vanished. I figured I might as well get up since I was already awake. I went to the kitchen, pulled out the coffee beans, and started the grinder. The streets outside were eerily empty. Quiet. Still. The fog lay thick over the city like a blanket.Earlier that week, a big event had taken place in the nearby park—some kind of competition, with local vendors and activities taking advantage of the crowds. I’d stopped by for about ten minu...

8 likes 3 comments 3
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Undercover Weirdo

Submitted to Contest #298

It was the middle of second period when I finally decided I didn’t wanna be at school anymore. I simply can not stand this teacher, all she does is stand in front of the class and talk about her personal life. I couldn’t tell you one thing I’ve learned from this class. So as usual I raised my hand and asked to go to the restroom.“Go ahead Raven, just try to hurry, I’m about to get to the good part of my story!”There’s a good part to the story of how her grandma lost her sight? Whatever. As I’m standing up and walking out I hear one of the gu...

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The Things I Never Said

Submitted to Contest #298

I only come before dawn— that’s when everything feels lighter, like the world hasn’t remembered to be heavy yet. It’s the only time I can find her without all the noise. My mother sleeps with the curtains drawn and the hallway light still on. She’s never turned it off. Even now.She sleeps curled toward the edge of the bed, facing the door, like she’s still waiting for it to open. Like I might walk in, late again, with excuses on my lips and apologies I never bothered to say.She still doesn’t lock it. Not since the night I left.I sit with her...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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