Aaron Simmons, putting down local roots after fleeing disaster

PEPPERELL -- The word came tumbling out of his mouth, and Aaron Simmons simply couldn't stop it.

Wicked. As in, it's wicked cold this winter. It's a colloquialism that is very much New England.

''They'd probably look at me funny if I said that back home," Simmons admitted with a chuckle.

Home used to be Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. That was before Hurricane Katrina roared through the coastal town 75 miles northeast of New Orleans in late August and left Simmons and his family homeless.

It has been more than three months since Simmons and his older brother, Travis, moved to Pepperell to live with their grandparents, Theresa and Charles Simmons, and life is slowly returning to normal for the 17-year-old.

Well, everything except his diction.

''Down south we say 'y'all,' and up here y'all say 'wicked,' " said Simmons. ''My friends keep asking where my Southern accent is going. I guess I'm turning into a New Englander."

Simmons is a typical high school junior, and a check of his pockets confirms that description, because his cellphone and iPod are never far from his hips. He worries about schoolwork and what to wear to formal dances, and he relaxes by playing video games and hanging out with friends.

Theresa Simmons worries about everything, as grandmothers often do. She doesn't see the big fuss about the boys' new Xbox 360 and ponders whether the earbuds on Simmons's iPod will damage her grandson's brain. She talks with his teachers to ensure his grades are satisfactory and chastises him when he sheds his boutonniere before a recent formal dance even begins.

She used to worry about Simmons adapting to his new home, but not any more.

''I'm grateful to all his coaches, his teachers, and his friends for helping to ease his transition," said Theresa Simmons. ''Aaron is always smiling and always laughing now."

Smiles and laughter were hard to come by in late August. Biloxi High had just completed its first football game of the season on Aug. 26 when the coach warned Simmons and his teammates of the storm moving toward the region.

Simmons and his family were among the few who sought refuge in the base's shelter the next day. Katrina roared through on the morning of Aug. 29 and left a trail of destruction.

His neighborhood destroyed and some friends missing, Simmons was sent to New England to start over. For someone who grew up in perpetual motion with a father in the military, Massachusetts was a familiar summer stopover. A little bit of home cooking every time he visited.

''With all the travel his family did, we didn't get to see him much growing up," said Charles Simmons, who had no problem welcoming two of his 10 grandchildren after raising eight children, including six boys, of his own. ''It's been a real treat having the boys around."

Word of his arrival spread through the halls of North Middlesex, a regional high school serving Pepperell, Townsend, and Ashby, before Simmons even set foot inside the halls, and his arrival was greeted with stares and whispers.

Simmons found comfort on the football field with coach John Margarita and the North Middlesex Patriots.

''We said all along that it didn't matter if he was 2-foot-8 or 8-foot-2, he was a part of our team now and we wanted him to feel comfortable," said Margarita. ''He ended up filling a spot for us on the offensive line, and that really helped endear him to his teammates. That and his personality. He's a funny kid."

Coming from a region where football ranks up near family and religion, Simmons thrived on the gridiron and settled into a starting role.

More importantly, he found new friends.

''He opened right up to us," said senior football captain Brendan Rearick, who played on the offensive line with Simmons. ''We used to make fun of him for that funny accent, but he's a good kid. He fit right in."

Simmons had hoped to compete in indoor track this winter, but decided to finish his quest to become an Eagle Scout instead. He lifts weights after school every day until 3:30 and hopes to compete in outdoor track in the spring.

''His father, Bob, was always the scoutmaster wherever they lived," said Theresa Simmons. ''I think Aaron wants to earn his Eagle Scout badge for his dad."

Simmons will be reunited with his parents for the first time on Christmas Eve when they fly in from Biloxi for the holidays.

His father is expected to be transferred to a base in Georgia in January, and his parents will move there after spending the past four months helping to rebuild Keesler. Travis Simmons is expected to finish this semester at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, then transfer to a school near his parents in Georgia.

But despite the snow and the wicked cold weather, Aaron Simmons wants to stay in Pepperell.

''I want to be somewhere for two years and not move," said Simmons, who was born in Ohio and bounced from base to base before settling in Biloxi 3 1/2 years ago.

''I want to be a senior and enjoy my senior football season. I've formed bonds with my new friends here, and I want to experience senior year with them."

He wants to shovel his grandmother's seemingly interminable driveway again. He wants to play football on Thanksgiving Day one more time and avenge this year's loss to rival Nashoba Regional. Heck, Simmons wouldn't mind saying wicked a couple more times.

After all, this is home now.

''To tell you the truth, I'm trying to push the past away now," said Simmons. ''I used to think about [Katrina] a lot. Now I just try to enjoy normal things like going to the movies or watching a basketball game. I'm trying to enjoy what I've got here."

Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@globe.com.