The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer

down in Rikki Baker's GTO. Would pass girls cruising in their cars and try to wave them over, then circle around and go down Center Street again, see the same girls, try to wave them over a second time, just driving side by side in traffic, part of a long line of other dudes in their cars, and pickup trucks, and the chicks in theirs, everybody's radio going real loud.
                    Gary got bored with the lack of positive results. When they came to a red light behind one carful of girls who'd been teasing them, he jumped out and stuck his head in their window. Rikki couldn't hear what he was saying, but when the light turned green and the girls tried to take off, Gary wouldn't get his head out of their window. Didn't care about the cars stuck behind, or anything. After the girls finally got going, Gary wanted Rikki to chase them down. "Ain't no way," said Rikki.
                    "Do it!"
                    With all the traffic, Rikki couldn't catch up. All the while, Gary was yelling to make a move and show he was as good as he said.
                    They had started too late in the evening, however. There were a lot of cars with guys but only a few with girls, and they were just fooling around and very cautious. One had to come up on them easy, not scare them right out of the water. Gary made him promise to go out earlier next time.
                    As they were saying good night, Gary had a proposition. What would Rikki think about teaming up? Make a little money at poker.
                    Rikki had already heard about this from Sterling. He gave Gary the same answer Sterling had given: "Well, Gary, I couldn't cheat against my friends," he said.
                    For reply, Gary said, "Can I drive your car?" Being a GTO, it was a fast automobile. This time, he said yes. Figured he'd better. Not getting his way, bent Gary too far out of shape.
                    The moment he got the wheel, he almost killed them. Took a corner fast and nearly hit a stop sign. Then he didn't slow down at the intersection and went catahumping over the drainage ditch that was there to slow you down. Next he almost ran some people off the road, in fact, one car coming toward them had to go onto the shoulder. Rikki kept yelling at him to stop. It felt like an hour with a madman. Gary kept telling him all the while that it was not bad considering how long it had been since he drove, and Rikki was near to having a heart attack. Couldn't get him to stop until Gary popped the clutch without enough gas and the motor conked. Then he couldn't get it started. The GTO had a bad battery.
                    That's what it took for Rikki to get behind the wheel again. Gary was awful depressed the battery had died on him. Got upset about it the way people can brood over bad weather.
                    Next day around lunchtime, Toni and Brenda picked Gary up at the shoe shop and took him out for a hamburger. Sitting on each side of him at the counter, talking into his left ear and his right ear, they got right to the topic. What it came down to was that he had been borrowing too much money.
                    Yes, said Toni gently, he'd been hitting Vern for a five-dollar bill here, ten there, once in a while twenty. He hadn't been going to work a full number of hours either. "Vern and Ida said this to you?" Gary asked.
                    "Gary," said Toni, "I don't think you realize Daddy's financial situation. He's got too much pride to tell you."
                    "He'd be furious if he knew we were talking to you about this," Brenda said, "but Dad isn't making a whole lot right now. He created a job so the parole board would help you get out."
                    "If you need ten dollars," said Toni, "Daddy will be there. But not just to buy a six-pack and then