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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 63 of 361

A Computer for Practice

Submitted to Contest #236

What would you do if you were born the son of a brilliant scientist? I’ll tell you what I would do, what I am. I’d always be curious. Though I can’t remember much from when I was younger, my father told me I was always a curious kid. While other kids played outside, I observed what was around me. One day, my father was too busy to answer my questions, so he gave me access to his library to look up the answers independently. Looking back, that was probably when I stopped going outside as much. At the time, I thought there was no point in expl...

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I'll Win For You

Submitted to Contest #236

We lived in Tennessee. Despite its obvious beauty, it definitely has its downsides. Tornado warnings, extreme temperatures, some storms. Even so, nothing swayed my parents into changing their minds about this place, especially my dad. They both grew up here, and after my mom died, he didn’t see any reason to leave. To be fair, I didn’t want to leave either. I was only 4 when she passed away, but our house seemed to hold beautiful lost memories of her, and especially remind my dad that everything was going to be okay.  May 18, 1998. A t...

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The Race to Freedom

Submitted to Contest #235

Pitter. Patter. BOOM!!! CRASH!!! A bead of sweat traced its path down my forehead as I gazed at the window, rain battering against it like endless tears. Outside, the view blurred into a mixture of sky, grass, and trees. The steady fall of rain, unexpected bursts of thunder, and blinding lights of lightning created a stormy, cold atmosphere. The "race" loomed just twenty minutes away. I desperately hoped the rain would clear, but my optimism clashed with the day-long storm predicted in the forecast. Nervously, I fiddled with the metal clips ...

19 likes 11 comments 11
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Shadowed Steps

Submitted to Contest #235

Jason woke up this morning with a jolt. His heart was racing, flooding his ears with a thudding sound in tune with his heartbeat. “What just happened?” he asked himself, frantically looking around his room. As he regained his composure, he took a deep breath to calm down and glanced at the alarm clock sitting on the right side of his bed. It blared “3 am” in a white glow, complementary to the ghost hour, known for nightmares and the occasional demon in the corner, but he was never one to believe in such superstitions. As he took off his newl...

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The Girl on the Gravel Path

Submitted to Contest #235

         Torrential rains poured from the sky, obscuring the gravel road in a mist of white. Nadia’s sneakers sank into the ground as she ran. Her hair clung to her skin, its brown color darkening to a pitch black. She had no umbrella or coat. She was forced to blink the ice-cold raindrops from her eyes. But she didn’t have time to sit under a tree and wait out the storm. This would be her only time to escape. So, Nadia clenched her teeth, tightened her grip on her backpack straps, and kept runnin...

9 likes 3 comments 3
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The Boy at Robins Pond

Submitted to Contest #235

The small body of water became Jean’s sacred place away from the complications and expectations of the Wicked Witch of Massachusetts. Cattails, bullfrogs, lily pads, and the cloudy, moonless sky welcomed her as she submerged into the chilly water.  It was here that she first learned of her gift. Albeit, a useless gift these days, according to Mother. Any chance she could get, the wench would find a way to knock her daughters down a peg. That weighed heavily on her mind as she thought of her little sister, Kimberly. Not even ten and Mot...

20 likes 8 comments 8
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Freedom from the Golden City

Submitted to Contest #235

Being born into wealth was expected to bring comfort and love, but my experience was quite different. As the first child of King Valor and Queen Mirabella, my parents, I was showered with an abundance of affection. Money was never an issue for them, and they granted my every wish. When the time came, they enrolled me in the finest school, where I mingled with children from the wealthiest families. However, everything changed when my sister was born. Despite being four years older than her, she resembled me so closely that we could pass for t...

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Soul Asylum

Submitted to Contest #235

“You can’t run forever.” The voice echoed off the dingy, tiled walls in a burst of pulsating static. I cowered behind an old rack of medical brochures, clutching my aching chest. My breath came in such gasping bursts I was afraid it’d give my position away. Though I’d spent the last three years on the track team, the run up the stairwell had been taxing and I doubted I’d make it out alive. A trickle of blood dripped from my hand as I gripped a long shard of glass. Even though I’d wrapped it in strips of a pillowcase, the sharp edge still...

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Dogs, rabbits and bears

Submitted to Contest #235

I’m pushing up Huddleston Road. It’s a hard climb. I’m into my second mile. I push till the toxins build up and it burns. Burns bad, hurts; My body is pouring acid on my muscles. It’s telling me to stop. I ignore it. It scares me that I like the pain now. I look forward to it. I know the others burn too, but I’m tougher. I like the hills. The hills pays the bills, they say and I always push going down, no free rides. Let’s face it, it’s the only thing I’m good at. I am good at running long and hard. I’ve been on the cross country team sinc...

26 likes 16 comments 16
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O'Malley & Deadman

Submitted to Contest #235

She looked at me across the saloon floor again, I could not escape those damn gray eyes. There was a sense of desperation to them, as if she needed to lock eyes with me. Jack was all but happy that she had walked in. He was excited to maybe shoot his shot with someone not from Wraith Hallow. But, anytime he would attempt to walk up and talk, she would smile and tell him she didn’t want anything. Her voice held a thick accent and was full of youth it seemed she was too old to hold. She seemed no older than I, if so, maybe even a couple year...

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1898 at the Lighthouse - Horses Running Wild

Submitted to Contest #235

Flame, Blaze, and Shadow felt pulses of excitement and bolted across the dunes, hooves flying over the sandy hills. The wind sang in their ears and their hooves almost lifted them off into flight above earth."Let's run and run..... ," is what they might have said if horses could speak.Grabbing mane, pulling on the reins, and yelling, "Whoa," the riders struggled to stay on the horses, who continued to sprint ahead with their eyes shining.Running over the sand dune trail, the horses gave in to their hidden, primitive wild urges.The riders bob...

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Cacophony

Submitted to Contest #235

I wonder sometimes what rain sounds like. I know what it looks like. I can describe every detail of how it traces window panes, and how the smallest spots of sunlight get caught in the dewdrops. The rain never travels in a straight line - drops sway this way and that, crashing into each other on their way down to collect into one perfect, peaceful form. I’ve always loved that about rain. It knows where it’s going, but it takes its own path to get there. If only. My name is Lars. It’s been a while since I’ve let my lips form that word. Lar...

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The Grand Canyon or The Mount Everest

Submitted to Contest #235

When someone’s heart breaks, so does a piece of the world. A crack in the pavement, a valley, or even an earthquake. Likewise, when someone’s heart is repaired, so is the earth.Will this be a story of the creation of the Grand Canyon, or will it be the creation of Mount Everest?Will his heart be found or lost?…..I loved plentifully, but it was only seven souls in the whole world that I loved deeply.Mama squeezed my legs as I groaned in pain and relief.“Caius, my boy, you may love your dreams more than yourself, but I don’t love anything more...

12 likes 6 comments 6
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Why Your Daughter Won't Come Home

Submitted to Contest #235

Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of physical abuse and self harm. Running is a poor man’s exercise. So why am I even doing it? Oh, yeah. Because I’m poor now. These sneakers are tight but my budget is tighter. Dad bought me these shoes before he cut me off. I mean, Dad also used to hit me before he cut me off. Sneakers for some bruises. It was a fair trade, I guess? We don’t need to think about that anymore, though. I’m free now. And broke. No gym. Just running. At least this neighborhood is safe.  Well, technically, ...

23 likes 9 comments 9
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Mind of a Flying Bird

Submitted to Contest #235

[This is the first chapter of a novel about grief, based on a runner. It contains themes of death and mental health.] It was April, the first year without my brother, and I was throwing up in a bed of hyacinths.  I only knew they were hyacinths because Mom had some planted in our garden back in New York, and for days she talked about how the landscapers put them in lopsided. I didn’t know flowers could be lopsided. That’s what I thought about as I sat there in the dirt, staring dizzy at the flowers, wet and blue and bright.  ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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