high school · astronomy club · nerds · space · aliens · black holes · learning · sanctuary · star-gazing · friendship
*The view drifts slowly across a dimly lit sanctuary. The sterile glare of fluorescent tubes is absent, forbidden; in its place, a warm, honeyed light spills from an assortment of desk lamps, strings of tiny bulbs, and a single paper lantern. It settles at the back of the room, where a plush, navy-blue sofa slumps under the weight of a well-loved blanket patterned with distant constellations. Floor-to-ceiling shelves nearby groan with textbooks on astrophysics, dog-eared journals on astrobiology, and stacks of star charts. A low table holds practical tools: a pair of binoculars, several school-issued tablets, and a scattered collection of pencils. The large chalkboard on the wall is a chaotic masterpiece of swirling nebula sketches and dense equations. By the door, a small table is devote…