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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 75 of 362

The Diner

Submitted to Contest #222

A destitute veteran wraps his threadbare jacket tightly around his thin physique as the icy wind chills him to the bone, reminding the older man that winter is fast approaching. It's time to change the tires on his car. He sighs at how bald they look. He barely made it through last year's snowstorms without a scratch. When given a choice to buy tires versus food, hunger wins every time. I could always go to the food bank. He thought. But I don't want anyone to know what a lousy situation I'm in. His mother's voi...

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The start of the Journey: Abigail and Sarah

Submitted to Contest #222

Abigail stood tall and firm with a sword in hand, ready to impart her powerful teachings to her apprentice, Sarah. The young woman was eager to learn the arts of battle, and Abigail couldn't be happier to teach her. The two stood before a vast forest, where serpent shifters were known to lurk. "Now, Sarah," Abigail said, her voice confident and strong. "The first thing you must know is that serpent shifters are fast and dangerous. But they are not invincible." Sarah nodded, her eyes fixed on Abigail's every word. "The key to defeating the...

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An apprentice Frist day

Submitted to Contest #222

Maya stood in front of the large glass doors of the tech company, her heart pounding in her chest. It was the first day of her apprenticeship, and she was so excited and nervous. She had always dreamed of working in technology, and now her dream was finally coming true. She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors. The lobby was bright and airy, with a modern design and a friendly receptionist. Maya checked in with the HR Department and was given a badge and a building map. Maya followed the map to the engineering department, where she w...

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Growing Sophie

Submitted to Contest #222

Sophie stared at her mentor, arms crossed over her chest. "You know, for an old guy, you sure don't know anything," she scoffed. Her mentor, Mr. Johnson, rolled his eyes. "Ah, yes, because seventeen-year-olds are always the epitome of wisdom," he shot back, his voice thick with sarcasm. Sophie couldn't help but smile a bit at his tone, even though she was still annoyed. She had been working with Mr. Johnson for a few years now, and while she loved learning from him, they definitely had a love/hate relationship. "You know, Mr. Johnson, you'r...

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Just an apprentice

Submitted to Contest #222

As the morning sun shone through the windows of the apprenticeship building, Emily could feel her heart pounding with excitement. It was her first day as an apprentice chef and she couldn't wait to get started. She had always loved cooking and had dreamed of becoming a world-renowned chef since she was a little girl. Emily had spent months researching and preparing for this day, and she was ready to make the most of it. As she walked down the hallway, Emily noticed that the door to the room that was her cooking classroom was slightly ajar. S...

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When the Road Darkens

Submitted to Contest #221

“Ana, what’s wrong?” Jeremy asks, crouching beside her. She’s on her knees, a cry of pain fading to a silent exhale despite her wide-open mouth. Her hands clutch at her rounded womb. “I think it might be the baby.” It had been a night like tonight when he’d left his old life behind and started this new one. A clear sky, though you couldn’t see the stars for the light rising from Santa Fe. The sparse ornamental shrubbery and trees cast dark, thick shadows. No wind, or even a breeze, stirred the hot air. Car fumes hung heavy. Sm...

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Call Me Margaret.

Submitted to Contest #221

For as long as I can remember, my name has been Theresa. I had never had a reason to question this until tonight when Mom called me Margaret. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it until I ask, “Margaret?” And she answers, “I meant Margaret -- Theresa!”  It hangs between us as we stand across from each other in between the kitchen and the dining room, still posed from the conversation we had been having. My eyebrows furrow slightly, lips mouthing the name again; Mom’s eyebrows rise slightly, lips parting in exasperation.  ...

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Holiday Field Trip

Submitted to Contest #221

A blue mist drifted over the historic graveyard. Vandals dressed as goblins had dropped globular mounds of slime on ancient headstones in this Salem, Massachusetts location. At the same time, in the center of town, masked children and adults—many with rubberized chimpanzee frowns along with jutting hairy witch chins and orange-faced Trump effigies filled the streets and shops on this Halloween night. The mist added to the fright factor, weaving through the cemetery and town in ribbons, obscuring the bats who congregated in fits and star...

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Forever Yours

Submitted to Contest #221

If I had gotten to choose my last words to Wesley, I would have said something like: “I love you forever.” Or: “You’re my home.” Or: “It was always you.” You can infer how besotted I was from the painful predictability. Three years and two months of togetherness, and those burnt-honey eyes still made my skin tingle. So did the way he sucked in his cheeks when he tried not to smile. And the way he nodded enthusiastically when I rambled about the happenings of the latest book I was in the middle of.It was Wesley, after all, who had saved me at...

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The Axe

Submitted to Contest #222

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life,” grinned Duncan. I knew he meant it as a friendly gesture, but Duncan is one of those men whose best smile still registers as a grimace. Possibly because of the missing teeth and smell of onions. “Today is the day you begin the work you were born to do,” he went on with his gravelly, yet deep voice. With this remark, he reached out a meaty finger and pinched my left shoulder, feeling the muscles there. Even at sixteen, I was built like a burly lumberjack. My poor mother was constantly men...

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The Book of Juri

Submitted to Contest #222

I have a journal with all my thoughts. Every feeling I have is written in there. It is my book of hope. It's naive and oblivious.  Chapter 7414: Love My parents came to visit me. I really needed their presence.  I wanted to see them so badly.  To be wrapped up in my mom’s warm arms protecting me from the world. To see the corner of my dad’s eyes wrinkle up as he smiles at me.  I feel love. Chapter 7416:  My parents left and all I feel is empty.  My hope has left me.  They left their trac...

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What Made Me Believe In Ghosts

Submitted to Contest #221

It was during my fall term. The leaves were turning and the Oregon weather was becoming more depressing by the minute. Obviously as a young adult freshly in the throes of the freedom that college allows, I was drinking on the regular. My dorm had a policy of no drinking, of course. I was underage, but I was not going to be one of the kids who followed those rules. I was using partying as my coping mechanism to forget all the things I needed to feel. Much like the woman who birthed me. Including the ones that came before her. This was th...

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Ghost Friend: A Miller South Teens Halloween Story

Submitted to Contest #221

It was late fall in Akron, Ohio. Mason, Finn, Lexi, and Xenna were in town, visiting the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens. Inside the manor, they were touring the hallway and viewing out the paintings.  "This place is booorrrriinnnggg," Finn groaned. "Come on, man. It's not that bad," Mason reassured. He placed his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Remember, we use to visit this place when we were at Miller South." "That was when we thought old stuff was cool. Now, it's just dull and gross." "Like our vice principal, Ms. Allen," L...

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Give Me My Crown

Submitted to Contest #221

“I can’t get the blood out of my floor.” On the other line, Georgie was a mess. Mason could hear her sniffling and blubbering every time she opened her mouth. “Just– just use bleach or– fuck, I don’t know Mason– this is insane.” “It could be worse,” Mason answered, balancing the phone between her shoulder and her ear and she scrubbed at the carpet. The threads were bright red, and her towel was smeared with crimson. “He could’ve tripped on his shoelaces or something. Can’t imagine he’d live that down.” “He won’t be living shit down, Mason...

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Graveyard Dates

Submitted to Contest #221

Okay! Picture the scene! We’re seven college-aged, amateur ghost hunters trespassing on a huge graveyard late at night. Besides my infrared cameras, Lou's digital recorders, and Judy's various thermometers, we also had John and Charles who were psychic sensitives, and Mark's perpetually chattering, air-headed girlfriend, Beverly! Sensing a strong ghostly presence in a secluded, tree-lined plot, John and Charles grew more excited and Beverly got more chatty when suddenly a voice snapped out from the shadows behind some large head stones. ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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