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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 59 of 361

Dandelion Seeds

Submitted to Contest #240

            As I crunch through the frosty grass and icy patches of snow in the cemetery, the bitter northern wind stings at my cheeks and whips my hair and scarf into my face. I can’t tell if the wind wants to pick a fight or wants me to let go and open up. I can’t tell if I keep my arms crossed against my chest from the cold or from the rush of painful memories I’m stubbornly trying to keep back. Maybe both. Maybe I’m cold because those memories have left me numb and frostbitten. ...

20 likes 9 comments 9
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The Call of…

Submitted to Contest #240

(mental health and mentions abuse) Halfway there, this shouldn’t feel so hard. My mailbox is looking like a tomb. The dew-covered grass hugs my feet. Whispers of movement whistle endlessly around me. Snap out of it and keep moving. I strain my mind. My body stops moving; my soul floats up. I want to stop everything. The wind rushes to keep me up; rushes to keep me together. It’s like I’m an air pocket inside an upside-down bucket pushing down in a stream. I don’t want my mind. But, “SHIT!” my leg. My skirt get caught on my mai...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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is it the sound of freedom, or just the wind?

Submitted to Contest #240

TW: Alludes to SA/ Abuse The heaps of colors do pirouettes in the sky. The vast ocean extends for eternities, attempting to reach hell and heaven. A journey I've faced many times whilst sailing over the years. The sky burns with emotion. The reds, oranges, and yellows resemble the kind of fire only a lioness has. The ocean boldly contrasts the brightness of the sky at this hour, her blue hues and the bluntness of her waves embodies the very soul of freedom. Something I know I’d never have, something my heart longs for. Why is it ever...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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Wind Goddess

Submitted to Contest #240

I'd always loved the wind, especially when it gently blows against my skin, like now. I'd never thought I'd have control over the wind though. Everything changed when a little white nymph came to me while I was working on my tapestry by the stream that flowed by the power of the Gods. The nymph, Albany, floated in the air and said to me, “Mortal woman, I'm here by request of the Gods- A new goddess is needed and you have been chosen based on your chastity and virtues. Zeus is looking to make you into a wind goddess- Refusing is not an option...

13 likes 1 comment 1
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Don't Know

Shortlisted for Contest #240 ⭐️

 Don’t Know. The wind, indecisive in its direction, takes the umbrella away from me. “Come on!” I shout. I hear the metallic clicks and snaps of the cheap fabric and reused metal that constitutes an umbrella, as it flies away. It ends up landing on a nearby pothole filled with water and I give up on retrieving it. Too bored or frustrated. Maybe I should spend more money for better quality.  “That went well.” My friend says. “Shut up.”  The words escape my mouth before I even realize. The rain hits me anywhere it can, as if i...

25 likes 11 comments 11
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The drifting breeze brought me to a kindred spirit.

Submitted to Contest #240

Joane closed her eyes as the cool breeze swept past her at the beach that night, giving her chills but in a good way. This is the first time she felt glad of the fact that she said yes to the college trip. The trip itself was nowhere as fun as she imagined, but to her nothing was that much fun anyway, not without the people she loved, which was just a handful at the time. Moments like these, when she could be away from the crowd and mind her own business were the best. Then she wouldn't have to pretend to be someone else and try to ble...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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Magical Melodies

Submitted to Contest #239

Edgar sat at the worn-down piano in the middle of the train station. He was about thirty and looked like he had seen better days. His grey clothes clung to his skinny body like nets around fish. A small sign sat on top of the piano reading “My name is Edgar, anything helps.” The sign sat alongside a dirty cup containing a few coins. The train station was made up of long hallways and tall ceilings that would send echoes bouncing from either end. The walls were painted green and gold with windows allowing light to pass through, though it was...

4 likes 1 comment 1
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Winds of Chance Revisited

Submitted to Contest #240

   The paper flew maniacally around, until it tapped Elena on the head. She snatched at it, hesitating to read the message scrawled on it. Never again would she fall for the treacherous wind message. She looked back mentally as she unconsciously squeezed the paper.     Two years ago she had almost died. Carefree and naive, Elena had come across a paper blown in the wind. A thrill of adventure lit her brandy brown eyes as she read the handwritten message: Meet me in the gazebo at ten pm. There was a gaz...

7 likes 3 comments 3
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Until Sundown

Submitted to Contest #239

It was the type of sculpture that trapped Thalia in her room for days. Dried bits of clay were wedged beneath her fingernails and lightly speckled across her skin and overalls. She circled the sculpture meticulously smoothening its limbs, rounding the wrinkles in its clothes, and perfecting the curls on its head. She took a thumb, swept it across its bottom lip, and slowly stepped away from the sculpture until her calves brushed the edge of her bed. She didn’t know if it was the step back, the final smoothening of a feature, or her piercing ...

5 likes 1 comment 1
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The Day it Rained Roses

Submitted to Contest #239

The Day it Rained Roses I’m staring at the sky and smiling, feeling sunshine warm my face for the first time in my life. I’m slowly spinning, taking in the light. I’m dancing across the crimson covered ground beneath my feet. The clouds begin to part, bringing more light and more petals. I’ve heard of this strange occurrence before. It’s been decades since the last time it rained roses. That was before hatred consumed our town. That was before the curse. Beep. Beep. Beep. My alarm clock screeches at me that it's time to wake up. I hit sn...

2 likes 1 comment 1
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New Eyes

Submitted to Contest #239

This story includes descriptions of war war. New Eyes Kando woke up shaking and crying. Julie, her mother, came running. Kando tried to curl up in her mother’s lap, wishing she could fit like she used to, back when she believed her mother could make everything ok. Julie wrapped her arms around her as she wept.   When she was finally able to speak, Kando told her mother the dream that had awakened her. “I was playing in the forest with a few squirrels. It was so beautiful. I could even see this lovely shinny lig...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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So the world crashes

Submitted to Contest #240

(Trigger warning!!!suicide, self harm, mentions of abuse/alcoholism) The wind brushed harshly against my cheeks. Frigid as I stared at the play equipment in the park. They always said he was too cold, too distant, too full of hate, to be able to love anyone. They didn’t know him as I did, the way his eyes lit up when his favorite song came on, the way he smiled when I told him I made the football team. They couldn’t know, it wasn’t that he was incapable of love, he was too scared to try. It always hit him in the gut hard, like someone took a...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Mint Honey Tea

Submitted to Contest #239

A young artist twirled a pencil in between his long fingers. He pondered the question that always seemed to haunt him. What to draw? He watched people bustle by, their minds revolving around their phones, ignoring the outside world. They were all the same, from the little girl- with a dull gray dress and braids- to the old man motoring around in his wheelchair. They were all in rapture with their tiny mobile devices, not seeing the world as it should be. The little girl should be out playing in the sun with a kite in hand. The man should be ...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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"Thoughts are power weapons!"

Submitted to Contest #239

Eduardo sat the kitchen table, his face staring into the nothingness of the blank wall opposite. The spoon with corn flakes found its way mechanically to his mouth with an automatic swallowing to follow.  His mother stood at the sink, washing the breakfast dishes. His dad had already left the flat and shortly after he was off to school, his mum would have to leave too for her part time job. But for now he still remained there in silence, his body leaning over his breakfast bowl, the spoon rhythmically emptying its content. “Are you f...

6 likes 2 comments 2
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Flowers For Martha

Submitted to Contest #239

 “Andrew! Andrew! Wake up it’s raining Daisies and Daffodils,” a chipper voice shouted.    Fourteen-year-old Andrew rubbed his eyes and mosied himself towards the balmy window. He squinted as a warm glare of sunlight radiated across his upper body. When his sleepy eyes came into focus they experienced nature's bliss. The emerald green grass outside cushioned a shower of lovely flowers floating down. It was an oasis of tranquility, considering it was raining sandals early in the week.  “You should go pick flowers ...

7 likes 3 comments 3
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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