leper colony

The designated smoker's areas outside of office buildings or in airports.

That group of kids everybody knew in high school that individually were often the targets of derision and/or physical violence, but who through some geek radar found one another to form an alliance, thereby lessening the probability that any one member is a victim.

The reference to the middle-age practice of isolating individuals with Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) and not allowing them to come into contact with any "normal" people is apropos because if a "normal" (read non-geekified) child were to associate with the leper colony, s/he is immediately labeled as suspect, and in extreme cases will be isolated him/her self, thus becoming a member of the colony.