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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 53 of 360

Lost and Found

Submitted to Contest #249

Jamie is a girl who loves the thrill of the open road. Her bright red Corvette was more than a car; it was her escape, her thinking pod, her sanctuary on wheels. One crisp autumn evening, Jamie decided to take her beloved Corvette for a ride without a destination in mind. The sunset, a canvas of fiery orange and purple stretched above her, an echo of warmth and wildness stirring in her heart as she drove past familiar streets. With the windows down, the cool breeze played with her hair, carrying away the remnants to her everyday life. The ro...

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Shadow Dances

Submitted to Contest #249

As I stand on the stage, my heart pounds as I breathe in anticipation.The first musical notes float through the air, and I feel the familiar thrill of butterflies swirling in my stomach; it is both exhilarating and agonizing.I close my eyes and let the melody wash over me, each beat fuelling my energy. My fingers slowly trace the curves of my body.From the front row, someone releases the sweet smoke of a cigarette and, it spreads to the stage like a wave.  The lights dim. A single focus on red light se...

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Game, Set, Match

Submitted to Contest #249

I can’t remember how long ago Jake killed Sam. Lots of people ask me about how it was like to witness the Murder Match. I always tell the same story, sometimes omitting details, sometimes adding ones nobody knew about. I like the way their facial expressions change from mesmerised to horrified in the blink of an eye. And then I tell them what I thought of it. Truthfully and honestly. It was horrifying. I can still see in my mind sometimes the way that Sam’s body lay motionless on the court, his blood the same colour as the clay. It drip...

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Battle of the Dads

Submitted to Contest #249

Jimmy’s dad bumped chests with Luke’s dad. Neither moved an inch. The combatants pressed their foreheads together, each stabbing a finger into his opponent’s chest. “Do you really want to do this? Here and now?” Jimmy’s dad practically spat the words. “Oh, you beat your sweet a—” Luke’s dad hesitated, looking about. The children had formed a ring around the pair, chatting amongst themselves about the possibility of a duel. “…apples. You bet your sweet apples.” Jimmy’s dad took a step backward and chuckled. “Nice save.” He stopped his blust...

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The Warthog, the rosty Subaru and Anna

Submitted to Contest #249

Her old Subaru made a puffing noise every time she pressed the gas pedal, and it got much louder when she stepped on the brakes to stop in front of the gate. The guards raised their heads as they heard the screech of the brakes. There were three guards: one in the cabin at the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve entrance gate, and two outside approaching Anna, one of whom appeared to be the dog's handler. The guard holding the device walked towards her on the driver's side. He grimaced but said nothing further. He pointed to the reader, sim...

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Fox on the Run

Submitted to Contest #249

Fox on the Run blared from Russell’s alarm. Groggily, he rolled over. Moaned. Slammed his fist on the clock. An empty beer bottle clattered to the floor. He sat up. Rubbed his temples to ease a throbbing headache that would soon take hold if he didn’t numb it with medication. Another bottle stood within reach. It was half full. Russell took a swig of its contents.Hair of the Dog.He swung his bare legs off the bed. Glimpsed the clock — 8:01 AM.“Damn it,” he cursed as he stumbled towards the bathroom, hoping a cold shower would help shake his ...

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Soulmates

Submitted to Contest #249

Our teacher explained it to me on the first day of 3rd grade. As two kids introduced themselves, we all saw the words appear on their arms. It was uncommon for it to happen to kids so young, so our parents hadn’t prepared us for it. We were told that the universe worked in a special way to help us find our true love. Whenever two soulmates spoke to each other for the first time, the first words they said would appear on the other’s arm. Of course, as children, we spent the next two weeks talking to random people and checking our arms to see ...

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Write a story about a character driving and getting lost.

Submitted to Contest #249

I have no idea where I am and to be honest, I have only a faint idea of where it is that I should be going. I know that I’m supposed to be meeting them at the house, but other than that the details are a little bit sketchy. I remember seeing the message Max had sent and making a mental note of the address. I remember Sammy saying something to me about the Wolds last time we’d Facetimed. Was it the Yorkshire Wolds or the Lincolnshire Wolds? Are there even wolds in Yorkshire? I thought that wolds was a Lincolnshire only thing. What even is a w...

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The Burnt Toast Theory

Submitted to Contest #249

Hey! You rang yesterday. I'm sorry I couldn't answer the phone but I can talk now, is everything okay? No? What's wrong? Did it not go well? Oh. You didn't get the job? Well, how do you know? Because you were late to the job interview. Oh, I'm so sorry, Jen. No, please don't apologize for crying. I completely understand why you're upset. It's a shitty feeling, I know. But please don't be mean to yourself like that. It's a common mistake to sleep through your alarm. Everyone does it at least once a month. I know I do it tons of times! I was l...

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Persuasion

Submitted to Contest #248

The red is too informal, Jason Ellis thought as he hastily loosened and tossed the fifth tie he had tried on in the past thirteen minutes. Next up was the black-and-white striped tie, an 18th birthday present from his uncle. She’ll think I’m dull, he silently scowled to himself. Another reject to the pile. His heart rate skyrocketed to a zenith unseen since that one day in Jason’s 9th-grade class that his parents threatened him never to speak of again. At this rate, he may as well just give up and deploy the “nuclear option.” Yet, as soon as...

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A Tale of Two Cities

Submitted to Contest #248

There once were two cities located quite close to one another, a coastal city named Eris and a mountain city named Trops. The fair citizens of the cities could not catch a break, regularly suffering through floods, earthquakes and more. This had to do with the animosity that existed between the cities, who each hated the other.  “Whatcha doing there Reed? That doesn’t look like engineering, which I thought was what you were supposed to be studying.” Ink and parchment went tumbling to the floor as Reed jumped up and fell across the table...

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Circular Intersections

Submitted to Contest #249

I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m driving of course; I know that much. I mean, I’m not sure why, but since finishing another soul draining shift of taking orders over a tannoid in a boring little cubicle with nowhere to stay, or more specifically nowhere I want stay, I find myself lost. Without thought, I engage with aimlessly bounding around Trinketon waiting for something, anything to happen. The more I anticipate it however, the more I simply don’t want anything to do with it. Whatever it may be. I try to imagine myself as more...

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Paradise lost in me

Submitted to Contest #248

I remember the days when everything was carefree. Playing outside while my dad and uncle cooked on the grill, my grandpa and my older uncles played dominoes and spades, while my mom and my aunties catches up with the latest stories happening in thier lives giggling and sipping a cold refreshing iced tea or lemonade. It was the greatest pastime, looking back I wouldn't of changed a thing until I became a teen and too big for my britches that nothing else mattered but getting out of the house, away from my parents, and my family. "Don't you wa...

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Subversive Swimming

Submitted to Contest #247

That night, Mary would receive thirty-one phone calls from her mother. The first came the moment she knocked on the door to Crystal’s house. For a moment, she stood and waited. From behind the door, there were sounds of cheering, arguing, yelling, and eventually, incoming stomping. The door flew open, the doorknob hitting the wall inside with a loud “thunk”. There stood Crystal, with a neon blue can in one hand and a cigarette in her mouth. She chuckled at the sight of Mary. “Hey, bitch. Thought you pussied out.” Mary winced at the language....

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The Musical Odyssey of An Amateur Pianist

Submitted to Contest #247

As the final school bell rang, Celeste sprouted up from her seat. Excitement ran its course through her veins, and she couldn’t contain the eager expression on her face as she headed out of her biology class. God, I hate that class, she always thought when she was in the clear to think such a thing. Ms. Smith was evil, according to Celeste and the rest of her grade, and her lack of mind reading powers had yet to be proven. She couldn’t help but stress over the test they just wrote, the test she likely failed. She had studied what she thought...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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