What everything is made of inside
Nothing is ever truly lost, and nothing is ever truly new. Everything that exists just changes its "outfit." If you bake a cake, every tiny bit of flour and sugar is still there, just mixed into a new form.
The whole world stays together because opposites love to be near each other. Tiny "plus" parts and "minus" parts pull on one another like the strongest invisible magnets in the universe.
Atoms are like people who feel better when their "hands" are full. Most atoms want exactly eight electrons to feel calm and happy. They will trade or share until they get that perfect number.
This is when two atoms decide to share what they have so they both win. They hold onto the same electrons like two kids holding onto the same toy so they can both play.
One atom is a "giver" and one is a "taker." The taker grabs an electron, and now they are both charged up like magnets. They stay stuck together not by sharing, but by the "pull" of their new charges.
Electrons don't fly in circles like bees. They "teleport" inside fuzzy clouds. Bonding happens when two fuzzy clouds melt into one big cloud.
Some atoms are "greedy" and pull harder on the shared electrons. This makes one side of the molecule a little bit "plus" and the other "minus," like a battery.
In metals, no atom "owns" its electrons. They all put them into a big, communal swimming pool. Because the electrons can swim around, metals can bend and carry electricity.
These aren't "super glue" bonds; they are more like "handshakes" or "sticky notes." They let water be liquid and help geckos walk on walls, but they are easy to break.
Electrons hate being near other electrons. They push each other away as far as possible. This "pushing" decides if a molecule looks like a line, a triangle, or a pyramid.