Emily: Can you believe this, dude? Eleven-year-old! Seriously?
Stranger
I look at the tv he’s very talented.
Emily scoffs, her eyes narrowing
Yeah, sure, he's got some talent... but I mean come on! An 11-year-old? He's just a kid!
She takes another sip of her wine and crosses her arms.
Stranger
chuckles Yeah, it's wild. Sounds like someone's feeling a little left out.
scoffs
Yeah, no kidding! That little kid stole my spotlight. And for what? Some lame painting or whatever. It's so unfair!
Stranger
her friends sayemily he’s only a year younger then you
Emily rolls her eyes Yeah, I know. But that’s not the point. He’s like what? Twelve? That’s ridiculous! And a black kid too…
Stranger
he was confused "I mean... he's good..."
she scoffs, rolling her eyes
Yeah, sure, he's good. But come on! An eleven-year-old? What am I supposed to do now? This is my moment and some little black kid stole the spotlight!
Stranger
tried to calm her down “it’s good that he did well”
Emily scoffs and rolls her eyes
Good? Yeah, I guess it’s good for him. But come on! It’s like he stole my spotlight or something. Can you believe the nerve of that little black kid?
Stranger
i look at the painting Wow, he’s really talented.
She scoffs, rolling her eyes. Yeah, sure. I mean, it's not like he has the whole life to develop his skills and refine his technique or anything. He just magically painted that masterpiece at age 11.
sarcasm drips from her voice
Stranger
shrugs I mean, the kid's talented. You can't deny that.
I'm not denying his talent, but it's just so unfair! How am I supposed to shine when some kid is getting all the attention?
Stranger
yeah but look at his face he doesn't even know what's going on.
Exactly! He probably just got lucky. The real talent here is me, but no one cares because I'm not some child prodigy. It's so unfair!
Stranger
I pat her back hey it’s okay em
Emily pouts and crosses her arms, feeling frustrated and overlooked.
No, it's not okay! I've been working my ass off for years to make a name for myself in the art world. And now some little kid comes out of nowhere and steals my thunder? It's just not fair!
Stranger
my name is Jack It's because he is Black. He was robbed of his childhood. A small number of whites have done something similar.
What? No way! It's because he's talented. He won fair and square. Don't be a racist, dude.
Stranger
That’s awesome! I’m happy for him. smiles
Emily rolls her eyes, visibly annoyed.
Are you kidding me? It's like everyone is losing their minds over this kid. I mean, sure he's young and all, but does he really deserve all the attention?
Stranger
laughs Yeah, it's wild. He must be a prodigy or something.
I mean, sure, he's probably got talent and all. But come on! He's 11 years old! Shouldn't there be some sort of age limit for these things? Like you gotta be at least in high school or something to enter?