I never learned the Pokémon TCG — and I don't regret it

When Pokémon cards first started sweeping the United States, I was the new kid at a new school, having arrived halfway through November. Cliques were already in place, but nearly everyone carried a binder full of cards. For Christmas I asked for nothing but Pokémon packs, unwrapped a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper, filled it with plastic display sleeves and spent the last night of break organizing my new collection.

I still haven't emotionally recovered from losing my holographic Mewtwo. At recess I discovered the cards weren't just for collecting; they were part of a game. I felt embarrassed when a boy tried to teach me the rules, and his quick rundown didn't stick. I watched others play, pretended to nap at my desk and cried.

The next day the group's leader made it clear I wasn't welcome—"She's a girl," he said—and I retreated. By spring I was still carrying the binder and a girl named Amanda asked what I was doing. She didn't know how to play either, so we started organizing our cards together — by cuteness, in my case — then trading.

United States

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