chapter seven; eileen agar

"Maggie, you can take your break now," Lucy Stone, Maggie's boss smiled, softly nudging the teen's shoulder. It was the end of the tour so she was practically dragging her feet with exhaustion. The idea of lunch made her mouth water and her heart race, which was why she quickly thanked Lucy and spun around, speed-walking back to the staffroom to grab her bag. Her mind was already whirring regarding what she was going to consume in the next forty five minutes; did she want sushi, pizza, a salad, a sandwich, a burger...

Ultravox softly played through the lobby as Maggie trailed through, eager to get something to eat from down the road. Her fingers made an effort to untangle her headphones and her hair bounced as her paced quickened. She was barely paying attention, which was why she nearly yelped when she ran into someone. 

"Hey, careful!" said a familiar voice, and it took a moment for Maggie's bewildered eyes to focus on the face of Peter Parker. It was the last person she expected to see, especially since she had met him for the first time at the art gallery only a month ago. He didn't really seem the type of person to visit a cultured place more than once a year, and the science fiend appeared relatively out of place. The teenage girl quickly took a step back, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. 

"Peter?" Maggie asked softly as the brunet boy composed himself, fixing his grip on the brown McDonalds bag he was holding. He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. He was wearing a long-sleeved burgundy jumper and jeans, the Autumn chill hardly bothering him. "What're you doing here?"

"I, uh, thought I'd come visit you," he admitted, his eyes flickering to the ground. Maggie felt her stomach drop into her feet, finding it quite unbelievable that someone would take time out of their day to appreciate her. "I didn't know when your break was so I thought I'd just come in and find you..."

"Well, you caught me at the right time," Maggie said, plastering a smile on her face. Peter nervously laughed and proceeded to nod, trying not to make a fool of himself in front of his friend.

"I got some McDonalds...I didn't know what you liked so I got some fries, a salad, a burger and some nuggets," he held up the bag, causing Maggie to giggle and adjust her tote bag on her shoulder. "I-Is that okay?"

"It's perfect," Maggie replied, not being able to resist the bubbly feeling that rose in her. Peter straightened up a bit with a newfound confidence, exhaling excitedly and making eye contact with her. "I-If you want we could walk down the road, they've got a great park bench that faces Gucci. You'd be surprised at the range of people who go in there. It's weird, but pretty entertaining."

"Really?" Peter asked as they left the gallery, him letting her exit through the door first, being the gentleman he was. Maggie then began to babble about the time two teenage boys had gone in once and had come out clad in the brand from head to toe, as well as the time one woman came out with seven handbags and a stressed out husband following her down the street.

Only five minutes later, she found herself in fits of giggles sitting next to Peter. They were sitting on a slightly dirty wooden bench that, as Maggie said, was directly opposite the Gucci store on fifth avenue. It was a short walk, but completely worth it. The view was just as good as Maggie had said, and Peter was trying to battle the butterflies in his stomach every time she laughed.

"God, how much money do you have to have to walk out with seven bags?" Peter gaped as he held a chicken nugget between his fingers, watching in shock as a short woman strutted out the doors with several black carrier bags in her hands. Maggie coughed a little in shock, following the finely dressed woman hand her shopping to a man in a suit. She then climbed into a sleek black car, one that looked far too expensive.

"Too much," Maggie shook her head with a slight frown, before glancing over at her friend. "What would you do if you had that kind of money?"

Peter hummed, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to think. "I'd buy a nice apartment so May wouldn't have to pay rent and then, I'd go to Disneyland. What about you?"

Maggie's head fell back and she looked at the sky with squinted eyes, thinking intensely about what she'd do with a fat wad of cash in her pocket. A idea popped into her head and she looked back at Peter with a slightly ashamed expression. "I'd probably get our house back in Washington."

Peter smiled softly, placing wiping his hands on a napkin and throwing it in the bin a few metres away. He smugly smiled to himself when it landed perfectly, before turning back to Maggie. "Do you miss it there?"

Maggie scoffed, before nodding a few times. "Of course. This place could never feel like home that way D.C did."

"What about your friends?" Peter asked, shifting around on the bench so that he was more comfortable. He seemed genuinely interested in her life before moving to Queens, making him the first person outside her family to ever actually care about her life. "Do you talk to them?"

"Oh, I never really had any friends," Maggie replied with a shrug, and Peter's eyebrows knitted together curiously. Maggie picked up on his interest, and cleared her throat, brushing her hands against each other to rid of the crumbs. "The other kids always thought I was a bit weird. I mean, I guess I see where they're coming from; I was homeschooled, I didn't play any sports, I was the only person in our town under twenty who knew sign language. You get used to it, though."

"Well, I can promise you that it's over now," Peter grinned. "You've got me and Ned, we'll always be there for you."

Maggie couldn't help the warm feeling that erupted in the pit of her stomach at his words. He made her feel so...special. It was so validating to have someone tell you explicitly that they were your friend, that you were somewhat important to them. It made her feel that maybe she finally belonged. 

☆★

"So, what's this?" Peter nodded towards a sculpture standing lonesome against a bright yellow wall. Maggie crossed her arms and smiled a little, recognising it instantly. The bright colours and strange construction of the piece was something she had long admired, and the artist was one of her (many) favourites.

"This piece is called Angel of Anarchy, and it's by a woman named Eileen Agar," she began, rocking back and forth on her feet. "She was born in Argentina and died in London, and she was one of the limited woman who were officially part of the Surrealist movement. We've got a few of her works here on loan from the Tate in England."

"It's so cool," Peter hummed bending down a little to appreciate the plaster cast head covered with different materials from different cultures. 

"It's supposed to be seductive, sensuous and strange," Maggie responded with a grin, to which Peter quickly returned. "She decided to use plaster because bronze was too expensive, which is why we have to keep the glass case over it, for protection purposes."

Peter nodded and thoughtfully began looking around the rest of the exhibit. Maggie couldn't help but allow her heart to race a little faster at the sight of the kind, undeniably attractive boy wandering around the gallery. His footsteps were light and careful which contrasted to his usual clumsy nature, and he genuinely seemed to be enjoying the artwork around him. Maggie watched as his eyes darted around, filled with innocent wonder -- it was more than enough to make her smile. 

A few minutes later Peter came up to her with a bright expression. "Can we go see Starry Night?" 

Maggie laughed lightly, checking the time on her phone and seeing that she still had twenty minutes left. "Sure, let's go."

A few minutes later, Maggie and Peter stood side by side in front of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Maggie had been privileged enough to see it several times since she had started her part-time work at the gallery, but Peter had never thought to take a look. His jaw was slacked in absolute shock at the sight of the Post-Impressionist art piece. They had squeezed past the dozens of tourists crowded around the piece, though luckily they weren't being suffocated due to the fact that many had gone for lunch.

"It's beautiful," Peter whispered, and Maggie nodded in agreement. The painting, to her, was not her favourite, but the history behind it and the clear torment of the artist was what made it so special to her. She could appreciate most art that was put in front of her, and anything by Vincent Van Gogh could blow her away. There was so much emotion poured into the process of creating it, and Maggie could only imagine what it must have been like for Van Gogh, one of the great lovers of the nineteenth century. "Maggie, I have something to tell you."

Maggie felt her body tense up a little, feeling all the tourists around her fading away so that she could only see Peter before her. "Yeah?"

Peter hesitated, his eyes seeming to look everywhere but her. "Y-You know Liz Toomes, right?"

Oh.

"Well, I've kinda had this huge crush on her for ages, and I was wondering if you'd be able to help me?" the boy continued, and Maggie tried to conceal the unjustified heartache in her chest. Why was she so disappointed? She had only known this boy for a month, how could she expect so much in such little time. How goddamn selfish of her. Besides, him liking Liz was perfectly understandable, the Senior was gorgeous, kind and intelligent, far superior to herself. Though despite this new understanding, Maggie still felt crushed.

Forcing a smile onto her face upon the realisation that her hidden hopes were possibly too good for her, Maggie nodded. "Of course! What were you thinking?"

Peter's face lit up and he grinned. "Well, I was thinking about, uh, asking her to Homecoming?" 

Maggie's smile was beginning to hurt her cheeks. "That's a great idea, Pete, I'm so happy for you!" 

"Really?" Peter asked, his voice raising in pitch as he genuinely grew happier. Maggie nodded quickly. The boy jumped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. The girl patted his back slightly awkwardly, before pulling away and checking her phone. Peter faltered a little, but his mood wasn't completely killed. "Your break's finished, isn't it? Well, I guess I'll see you later, okay Maggie?"

"Sure," Maggie nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "See you later, Pete."

Peter waved a disappeared through the crowd of people, leaving Maggie by herself once more. Her eyes flickered back to The Starry Night and she crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips. Her favourite song was written because of this painting, because of the man behind the easel. The song could cure pain and soothe grief, and made her sink into a pool of angst. There was enough anguish in the music that brought her a sense of serenity, and in that moment it seemed to be all that she needed. Her eyes concentrated on the loose but precise brushstrokes, knowing that nearly one hundred and thirty years prior, a man of pure talent and misunderstanding had painted them with the assumption that no one would appreciate his talents. 

"Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you," Maggie whispered, before turning around and walking in the opposite direction Peter had, returning to the life that seemed particularly dull. 

Though that was all about to change, and she was far from prepared.

☆★

I'M BAAAACK!!

sorry for the lengthy hiatus, i swear i've been trying my best to finish this book because i love maggie so goDDAMN MUCH but i've been a mess lately and things just haven't been working out, ya know? 

ANYWHOM, i've written a COMPLETE plan for this book, and i damn well intend to finish it before the end of the year, so let's hope we get somewhere!! maggie deserves this, let's be real fellas.

also!! the song maggie is thinking of is called 'vincent' by don mclean, which is one of my favourite songs and makes me hella emotional. that man is a lyrical genius and writes some solid shit, so i'll leave the video below if you're interested in having a listen! also if you want to follow the playlist for this book i've left a link in the introduction chapter so that you can follow it on spotify!!

https://youtu.be/oxHnRfhDmrk

hopefully i'll see you guys with another update soon!!