When To Let Go Read Online Free

locked in the dark, stuffy hole every night. He lived that way for three years until they got busted.
    No, not lived.
    Existed.
    Over the next year Ryder and Parker became closer than best friends. It became more of a brotherhood, and he came to think of Parker's little sister, Ava, as his sister too.
    Ryder finally had the family he'd always secretly wished for.
    When almost a year later Parker's social worker came to get him, claiming he had been adopted, Ryder was in denial, expecting him to come back any day. Nobody adopted older kids – especially ones with Parker's reputation of having a short fuse and bad attitude.
    Not long after, Ryder was caught stealing car parts, landing him in a juvenile detention center. He would remain there until he turned eighteen.
    He never got to find out where Parker and Ava went or if they were in good hands. He didn’t get to say goodbye to the guys at the shop either. In the course of a few weeks he had lost the only home and family he had ever known. Ryder shut down. This was why he distanced himself from people. Getting attached only brought pain.

Chapter 3
Unlovable
    Seven-year-old Ava clutched a brown paper bag tightly in both fists in front of her.
    “You ready?” Her social worker, Mrs. Turner, asked.
    She wasn't, but not wanting to be any trouble she breathed out a faint, “yes,” crinkling the bag further in her grip.
    Mrs. Turner smoothed out the top of Ava's hair, showing kindness in her smile, “Don't forget to smile.”
    Ava tried to lift her mouth, but it twitched from the effort, her nerves making it impossible.
    Mrs. Turner opened the door, holding it for Ava to enter first.
    Ava kept her eyes to the ground, too afraid to glance up.
    “Hello, it's nice to finally meet you both in person after our many phone conversations,” Mrs. Turner spoke in a welcoming manner. She placed her hand between Ava's shoulder blades, giving her a slight nudge towards a chair, “Ava, I want you to meet the two women who are interested in adopting you.”
    Ava lifted her eyes, keeping her head down.
    The woman that caught her attention first had the most beautiful hair Ava had ever seen. It looked like a mermaid’s the way it fell down past her shoulders in long waves, the color on top an aqua green that faded into a dark blue that colored the ends. The woman had black-framed glasses on and wore a big smile on her face.
    “Hi, Ava. I'm Stevie, and this is my partner, Naomi,” the woman with the mermaid hair said, gesturing to the woman next to her.
    The other woman's face wasn't as soft or delicate; it had a stiffness to it that matched her tightly curled hair. Ava did love her eyes. They were as blue as the sky, her second favorite color after yellow.
    This woman had a close-lipped smile, yet it was friendly, “Hello, Ava. I'm Naomi. I've been looking forward to meeting you.”
    “It's nice to meet you both,” Ava spoke softly.
    “You have beautiful hair,” Stevie commented. “I've never seen coloring like that before.”
    Ava's hand naturally went to it. It had gotten longer over the years and the blond in it had lightened over summer, making the red seem brighter.
    “Thank you,” she remembered to say, even though she didn't like people bringing up her hair. She had wanted to cut it, the length reminding her of how her mother's boyfriend loved to play with it, but Parker wouldn't let her. He said it gave the guy too much power. Ava didn't understand what that meant, but she didn't want to disappoint her brother so she kept it long. She had learned how to french braid it herself, hoping to conceal it, yet it never worked. People always noticed its unique coloring.
    “I love your color,” Ava couldn't help but gush. “Are you related to mermaids?”
    “No,” Stevie laughed, her smile getting wider, “but wouldn't that be fun?”
    Ava vigorously shook her head up and down in agreement, having always wanted to be a mermaid.
    “Do you like to swim?”
    “I don't know