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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.

5420+ 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 74 of 362

Behind Closed Doors

Submitted to Contest #223

It was my first year at Mason University, known for its horror stories and urban legends. I did not come here for that reason; in fact, I did not wish to entertain the idea of the truth behind those stories. But the superstition found me, anyway. It seemed as if once every class, a student would bring up an unnatural account from the night before. And the teachers always bared the same response: nerves, and then, denial. Words may have been enough to fool other students, but body language told me more. The teachers were hiding something, and...

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Magic Unleashed - A Tale of Blackgate University

Submitted to Contest #223

Chapter 1 “What do you think about the Black Masque Ball next week? Want to go as friends?” I was silent for a moment, holding my breath while waiting for an answer, then added while shrugging and inwardly wincing, “It could be fun.” It was my feeble attempt to take our friendship a step deeper by inviting my one and only friend to the school's morbid effort at a social gathering. Each of us had been thrust into the rigors of academia at Blackgate University, and I thought the event might be a nice break from our studies. Neither of us w...

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The Earworm

Submitted to Contest #223

“My angriness from sixth grade will scar my memory for life and I will be ashamed of my sixth grade year forever.”    -The Night Stalker THE EARWORM               Benjamin could never discover what it was exactly that made him cease to be an ordinary student.  He knew that he was one once, as he and his classmates emerged from the long dark time of uncertainty that preceded his revelations. There wasn’t a single precocious learner am...

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Pieces of You

Submitted to Contest #222

"Kid, you're an unstoppable force." My grandpa smiles at me and then reaches for his fork for another piece of his famous chocolate cake."You think so? I really want to get into this school." I placed my plate on the table and fiddled with my fingers."You will get into that school, don't sweat it. But you've got this, it's already written in the stars." My grandpa says with a mouth full of cake._____________________________"Okay, everything is packed. You ready, Gabriel?" My mom squeezed me so hard I swear I could feel the air popped out of ...

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The Artist

Submitted to Contest #222

There was something about the dark, empty streets of London at night that felt like a warm embrace. Escapism? Was that what these 11pm post-library walks were? Tegan asked herself, as she strolled across the concrete, her current favourite song purring in her ears as the inky River Thames came into view.  Escapism was what a lot of people liked to imply Tegan indulged in.  Her mother, for example, who said it kindly, for she reminded her of her at that age.  And Brently, who insinuated it with a sneer whilst questioning her ma...

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To Perfect a Spell

Submitted to Contest #222

 “You’ve got this Ella. You must concentrate.” Peter Leeway grinned encouragingly at his struggling friend. “Easy for you to say!” Ella sighed and dropped down onto the grass, exasperated. “Magic comes easy to you. Everything comes easy to you.” The spell Ella had been trying to cast was one called Substitutionary Replacement. It was where one could swap their location with an inanimate object instantly. Peter leaned off the oak tree he had been relaxing against and moved to sit next to Ella on the grass. He placed his wand de...

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A survivor of exam week

Submitted to Contest #223

Exam season was in full swing, and the air was tense. At the university, Students everywhere were spending most of their time hunched over books and laptops, cramming for their upcoming tests. Which often lasts from a week to 2 weeks, depending on how many subjects they took. Anya was no exception. She had been studying for weeks, but she still felt like she didn't know enough. To pass this chemistry test, she worried over every test, even the tiny quizzes. Anya carried a 4.0, but she always pushed herself so hard. Anya always studied until ...

16 likes 4 comments 4
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The Impossible Work

Submitted to Contest #222

Four tentative raps against a chrome door. “Who is it?” “I-It’s Tyler Ramsey, sir. It’s my first day here? I was told to – “ The shimmering metal slid downward into the floor. “Yeah, yeah, I know who you are. Come on in, Tyler.” The voice was gruff, and his words were clipped. Tyler didn’t think it was an inviting voice at all, but he followed his command regardless. “Alright then, Tyler. Let’s see… your first day at the institute, huh? How’re you feeling?” Tyler could feel the cold sweat running down the back of h...

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How To Untie Her Shoes

Submitted to Contest #222

Celine does not know what to call herself. She is somewhere between an au pair and a tutor with limited hours. She hates the title nanny and even au pair because she thinks it unbecoming for a thirteen-year-old to have either one. Admittedly, thirteen is a difficult age that defies categorization, caught somewhere between adult and child. Celine’s job description was straightforward enough: a writing tutor who also was to pick up Eva from school and make sure homework assignments plus some extra writing got done three afternoons/evenings a w...

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Sensei

Submitted to Contest #222

“Line up! Bow!” I say the commands sharply, and as she bows, I do too, hands in fists, one holding the other, then slap my hands to my sides in attention. “Always keep your eyes on your opponent, even when bowing,” I tell her. “Run through your katas and give me your best.” Circling her, I watch, correcting her punches lining up her feet, hips, and shoulders. “When you do your kiai, I should be able to punch you in the stomach and not push you back or hurt you,” I explained. “Ready?” I watch as she drops into a horse sta...

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Hey Stranger from the metro

A M

Submitted to Contest #222

Perhaps it was the fact that there was nowhere else to stand, or that his two constant companions were bickering so loudly, that people were starting to give them glares, that he decided to stand next to her.Kai decided that it was the latter.Honestly, she seemed perfectly normal; the type of person one expects to see on a metro and forget within minutes; just another high school student on the 6:30 metro to Shibuya .He barely spared her a glance before turning to his phone screen in the hopes that people would not associate him with the now...

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A Lady Monk Who Attained Nirvana in Her Rompers

Submitted to Contest #222

In a remote town nestled in a valley, there stood a popular residential school run by a monastery. For years, the school had followed a conventional system, with separate campuses for Boys High and Girls High located about a kilometer apart. However, as time went on, the head of the institution realized that the school was struggling to keep up with the modernization demanded by its resident students. The esteemed leader of the institution made his way towards the revered Lama, the esteemed spiritual figure who held the highest position wi...

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Get Real

Submitted to Contest #222

School was completely shit. I need to get that straight from the very start. Filled with a bunch of tossers and the worst of them were the teachers. Sanctimonious know- it-alls spouting crap that was neither use nor ornament. Surviving was all it was about. What a waste of time. Good job I had a good bunch of mates. We had a laugh. That was all there was. It was a case of getting through it and nothing more than that. The day I left school was the best day of my life. I’d arrived. End of the bullshit. I was going to earn and a man ...

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Dear Theophania...

Submitted to Contest #222

As you lay in your sterile hospital bed, surrounded by medical equipment and the scent of your own sick, a spark of hope flickered in your weary eyes as an unfamiliar figure stepped into the room, carrying a bouquet of vibrant flowers that promised a world beyond those sterile walls. For a moment, the ethereal figure nearly deceived you as you mistook her for someone else through your tinted view. But it wasn't her. “Excuse me, is this the right room?” the woman asked. “I’m looking for a Grace Magdelene.” You barely nodded as your brea...

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THE EMERALD TWINS

Submitted to Contest #222

The text below has been expertly translated from the fairy language into modern English by Emily Debois, a human guardian who has shown exceptional courage and dedication to the fairy world. We will endlessly remember her service.More than three hundred years ago, near the Isle of Skye, there was a mystical realm known as Emerald Ben, inhabited by magical creatures. In the past, this thriving, bustling realm was a point of reference for magicians seeking wisdom and knowledge in the magical arts. Throughout these lands, people have learned to...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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