Rmc2, what a sucky, SUCKY thing for him to say to you

Yeah, too bad it's too late for him to take it back, but thank goodness he
at least apologized, and did so immediately. Brownie points for that.
Maybe his friends' good taste will rub off on him and he'll start to like or even love your natural hair? I strongly believe people learn to appreciate naturally curly hair by being regularly exposed to people who proudly WEAR their natural curls (like us curlies)