LPS High School AU

Memories

Spring cleaning was never easy in the Ferguson household.

For one thing, Russell never dared to step foot into the lone attic that apparently existed on the ceiling of the second floor hallway. He had only discovered the said room only a few years ago, when he had the guys over his house, and they had accidentally kicked a ball into the ceiling, revealing a trap door. It was well hidden within the ceiling, or so Jerry Ferguson thought.

Now in the present, it was that time of year again. When it came to cleaning, Russell and Jerry has their differences. Jerry Ferguson took his time, cleaning whenever he felt like it. Russell on the other hand...

The said boy sighed as he began climbing up the dusty set of stairs, reminding himself to dust them off as soon as he was done.

Truth be told, his father was a bit of a hoarder. Although that habit was no longer as extreme as it was before, there were still a couple of items that took up way too much space in the basement that Russell was anxious to get rid of. His dad wasn't home at the moment, so he decided to start early.

The boy crawled into the small space. A lot of boxes and clutter filled up most of the room, making Russell roll his eyes. Plus, dust began to form around the items, which did not please him at all.

"Dad...we should really be cleaning this place up more often." Russell mumbled as he moved closer towards the boxes, having brought in his own box for things that they were going to throw out.

"Let's see..." he opened a box, beginning to go through its contents, "An old photograph of my nana? Keep." He set it aside, "A broken lamp? Trash." He put it in the new box, "Wha—an old pair of socks?! Dad." He huffed as he grimaced at the old pair, quickly tossing it into the box.

It was like this for about an hour, as Russell went from box to box, having made piles for when his dad returned, who had the ultimate say in whenever something would be thrown out. He knew it wouldn't be easy to convince him to get rid of even half of the pile.

"There we go. I think that's about it." Russell wiped his forehead as he looked around the attic once more. There was a bit more space around, but still not quite enough. Though, it would be a nice place to hang out, but he knew that 1) not all of his friends would even fit in the basement, and 2) there was a certain someone who happened to be claustrophobic, and he really didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

The boy decided that now was as good as a time for a break, as he leaned against the wall of the small room, admiring his work. He never understood why his dad chose to hoard things he didn't even need. It was just a junk pile just waiting to happen. He already deals with one packrat at school, he didn't need that kind of person at home as well!

He decided to sit near the corner of the room, placing his phone nearby incase anyone called. However, as he got comfortable, his hand suddenly came into contact with yet another box, the boy perking up at the sudden touch. He flinched, quickly turning around to find a small box. Curiosity immediately surged as the teen glanced at the newfound item.

"Great. I wonder what's in here?" He sighed , assuming it belonged to his dad. He grabbed the box and placed it on his knees, giving it a quick inspection. It wasn't like the other boxes. This one was much smaller, in a shade of blue. It was decorated with a couple of stickers and ribbons, but it wasn't as dusty as expected.

"I wonder what this is?..." the boy proceeded in opening the lid, setting it aside. The box contained various photographs and papers, all clipped together with a pink string. There were various stacks inside, Russell being careful when taking them out. They looked pretty old, the pages already worn out.