"You're a meanie poo head!"
"I AM NOT!"
"YOU ARE! WHY ELSE WOULD YOU TAKE THAT CRAYON? WHY ELSE-?"
"I'M NOT A MEANIE POO HEAD I PROMISE!!" Alex whined, his voice breaking. Tears streamed down his face, and snot joined it. His nose ran faster than Usain Bolt during a marathon.
"You are." Thomas spat. He literally spat right on Alex's shoes. Thomas crossed his arms. "There was no reason for you to take James' crayons, or for you to break them all and hide them. Proof that you are a meanie poo head."
"I did have a reason!" Alex spun around to face his friends. "I DIIIIIIIIIIID!" His shouts when on for forever.
"WHYD YOU DO IT?" Eliza yelled.
"MEANIE POO HEAD!" Laf and Hercules chanted.
"I never liked him." John appeared out of nowhere to state.

"He's so mean."
"Mean." Angelica teased

.

Alex sat upright in bed. Sweat poured down his forehead and on his pillow.He heard Anna crying, and he hopped out of bed. He could soothe her and she could soothe him. He headed over to Anna's room to see Martha already rocking her back and forth. He entered the room and tapped his mom's shoulder.
Martha turned to face her son. "Hey sweetheart, why are you awake?"

"Anna woke me." Alex lied. Then he shook his head, he couldn't lie to his mother. His mother was his favorite person ever, why would he lie? "No . . . I had a nightmare."
"Oh no sweetheart, what was it about? What happened?" Martha placed Anna back in her crib and looked back at the still sweating Alex.
"Thomas called me a meanie poo head, and then . . . everyone believed him! Like I could be the bad guy and Thomas could be the good one. I didn't know what to do! Everyone was yelling at me and-" Alex's voice betrayed him and he collapsed into the comfort that was his mother's arms.
Martha rubbed Alex's back as he hugged her. "Oh sweetheart, I'm so so sorry you had that nightmare."

"It's alright, I can shake it off." Alex said as he hugged his mom.

"Of course you can, you're the strongest boy I know." Martha tried to calm her little son as he whimpered.
"Man." Alex whispered.
"Strongest man I know." Martha corrected herself. "I can't believe you're going to be in Kindergarten next year sweetheart! You're so grown up!"

"Thanks mom." Alex said. His mom always knew how to help him through the tough times and scary nightmares.

"Of course sweetheart. I love you more than anything, I will always help you." Martha assured him.
"More than anything?" Alex said hopefully.
Martha rolled her eyes. "Besides your brother and sister."

"What about poor dad?" Alex pulled away from his mom to look her up and down. She had long lost the baby bump.

"What about him?" Martha joked. She smiled at Alex, who smiled back.